Sovereign Swamped
by Vincent von Dreyfus
Summary: Spin-off of the "Dark Mind" series. Link and Saria search for Navi on Halloween, only to discover a demonic imp and a grim wonderland. With Monkeys and Dekus preparing for war, Link must find the missing princess before death enters the swamps.
1. The Client

**A Note from the Author:** I'd rather finish Fallen Matriarch before starting this, but I wanted to get the first chapter of my favorite Zelda game's novelization in on Halloween--_Twilight Princess_ can try all it wants, but _Majora's Mask_ will always be king when it comes to a Zelda Halloween. So this is the first chapter of the first story of _Dark Mind_'s spin-off series, _Shadow Apocalypse_--a darker, more-psychological-focused novelization of _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_, my favorite out of all the Zelda games. I originally wasn't going to do it, but as I've been nearing the completion of the final chapter in the _Ocarina of Time_ novelization, I've been getting numerous requests for a _Majora's Mask_ spin-off. So, as my Halloween gift to all of you, I'm going to go through with it. I won't be doing another chapter until Fallen Matriarch is said and done, but here's a great tribute to the darkest of holidays.

And for those of you who haven't read my _Ocarina of Time_ novelization, I highly encourage you to do so. You can pick off at your favorite sage (there's one story for each, minus Raaru): Phantom Destiny (Saria), Dragon's Duet (Darunia), Arctic Succession (Ruto), Rising Puppetmaster (Impa), and Fallen Matriarch (Nabooru). For reference, I call that the "_Dark Mind_" series.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Part I of Sovereign Swamped, and Happy Halloween! Please review when you finish reading!

**Zelda stuff (c) Nintendo, sometimes Capcom  
Original stuff (c) Me**

* * *

**Part I ~ The Client**

The autumn morning was first recognized by a Kargarok perched in a dying, gnarled tree, grey with age. The enormous tree had in years past been glorious, with thousands of leaves green year-round, and brown bark richer than any other plant's. But a year ago, it continued to tower over the forest with godly eyes, until a boy dressed only in green stepped into the tree and battled a giant arachnid queen. The boy left victorious, but the queen took the tree's life in the process. The grand God of Earth, the Deku Tree, died that night.

Now, a year later, his corpse continues to watch over us like a skeleton watching from beneath the grave. Without its guardian, strange things, both wonderful and horrifying, have begun to happen to the Lost Woods. Everybody whispers it under their breath: The woods are changing. "Something new has entered the forest," one will mutter, shivering and looking around. Indeed, the forest was no longer as bright and cheerful as it used to be. A shadow seemed to hang over it, and with it many a mystery made itself known. Animals began to go missing. The leaves of trees died earlier than usual, and the mornings have been colder than ever before. Wolfos have gained a newfound confidence, and when they attack they do in such ferocity that it is not uncommon these days to travel in the forest with some sort of weapon. At least once a month, on my walks in the woods I've heard horrific screams of some large animal in the distance being torn apart. Whether it was by Wolfos or by something more sinister, I do not know. Stalfos, living skeletons that hide in the woods in shame of their pasts, talk quietly about a darkness they believe now exists. Something lingers in the air, though nobody knows what it is.

The Lost Woods, feared among everybody outside it but cherished by all those who lived inside it, was home to countless plants and animals. Once ruled by the Deku Tree, it was otherwise a confederacy between three sovereign races: the Dekus, the Skull Kids, and the children of the Deku Tree, the Kokiri. The Kokiri were forest spirits and nothing less, but rather than don their tiny spirit bodies (known as Koroks, for those who didn't know), they decided to keep the form of Hylian children, so that they could frolic and play for as long as they lived.

But there was one Kokiri who did not frolic.

My name is Link. I am an outcast; for all my life I thought myself a Kokiri, but I now know myself to be Hylian. Or was it all a dream? I traveled seven years into the future, fighting in a campaign to end the rule of a tyrannical Gerudo king that in the near-present had taken over Hyrule's crown. But when it all ended, Nayru, Goddess of Time, took me back to the present, albeit with Ganondorf still locked away. Of course, nobody could understand why I was cheering--the Deku Tree was dead and nobody could remember Ganondorf, so I was joyous while everybody else was glum. The only one who remembered was Navi, my fairy companion. She vanished one day, though, and since then I've been looking for her non-stop.

It was a year and two months since that fateful August. I never got a new fairy in all that time, waiting loyally for Navi to return. Now it was the end of October—Halloween morning, in fact—and I had almost given up hope. As I rose drearily from my bed in Kokiri Forest, I looked out the window. It was something I had gotten into the habit of doing, checking to see if Navi was outside. When she wasn't there, I finally came to a conclusion. "I'm done waiting," I stated to nobody. "Navi, I'm coming to find you."

-

Last year I got a new shield for Christmas: a smaller model of the Hylian Shield called the Hero's Shield. I had never touched it since January; now, for the first time, I slung it around my head and let it hang behind my back, just like my shields last year. I picked up my Kokiri Sword, placed it in its sheath, and hooked up a bag of food to my belt. I didn't know if I'd have to spend the night in the forest, so I felt it better to be prepared. With the Lost Woods as it was these days, who knew what to expect? I wasn't even sure if I'd come back alive. I took a moment to pray to Farore, the Goddess of Courage and Secrets who (as I found out six years in the future) watched over me and protected me when I needed it.

But there was somebody else who I needed to talk to. Since coming back from the future, I've progressed my relationship with Saria. She knows I'm a Hylian now, but just like in the future she doesn't care. We loved each other deeply; if this was my last time in the forest, I couldn't leave without saying good-bye.

Saria's house was right next to mine: the stump of a massive tree, hollowed to form a quaint cottage. The dark overcast in the sky made the morning almost look like night, so Saria's windows were lit up by the fireplace in her house. The warm light was a pleasant welcome as I stepped inside. Saria was dressed in a pine green turtleneck covered with a pure green sweater, along with a Kokiri Tunic bottom lengthened for colder weather. She wore dark green boots, and a white scarf around her neck. Her vivid green hair hung to her neck, graced with a pine green hairband just behind her pointy ears. The sight of me with my shield surprised her, and she set an oatmeal-filled spoon down slowly, observing me with great scrutiny. "Link, what's the matter?" she asked rather worriedly.

I stood beside her, looking deep into her green eyes with my own concern. "I can't wait any more, Saria. I have to find her," I whispered.

"You're leaving?" The Sage of Forest got to her feet. "When shall you return?"

"I... I'm not sure if I'll come back. The forest isn't what it used to be. I... I might get lost in it, or eaten, or..." There was a vicious roar outside, perhaps less than half a mile away. It was followed almost immediately by a sharp shriek, like a horse getting devoured. The scream of the animal was short, but echoed throughout the forest with morbid sustenance. I gulped. "Or worse..."

Saria took my hand. Her hand was warm and soft, and I savored the soothing feeling of her hand touching mine. "Link," she started nervously, concern covering her face.

I couldn't look her in the eye. "I wanted to say good-bye, in case I don't return. You understand, don't you? I... I just can't live without her!"

She looked deep into my eyes, until she was satisfied that I wasn't going to change my mind. "In that case, I'm going with you." I opened my mouth to object, but she covered it with a finger. "You won't survive if you go into the Lost Woods alone, especially without a fairy. You'll need a second pair of eyes, and a fairy to light your way." She smiled up at her red fairy. "Tuto and I will go with you, Link."

-

Almost no light penetrated the warped trees of the Lost Woods. Even though it was daytime, the cloudy sky and the dense canopy made the forest floor no brighter than early morning had been. A light fog hung over the ground, hiding the distance from view. Saria and I sat atop Epona—not the proud mare from the future, but the young, energetic colt from the present. Malon had great sympathy for my cause, and so she allowed me to borrow Epona for the journey. We prodded slowly through the mists, searching in every direction with our eyes for the small blue glow that I had come to love. Every now and then I'd call out for her, but my words were never answered.

A cold autumn breeze wound its way through the browning leaves, just barely holding on to their trees, who wanted nothing more than to save themselves at the disposal of those who for a year were considered nothing less than family. The leaves that lost their grip were blown away, never to be seen again under countless other leaves collecting under the grey, formless fog. A squirrel scurried down from a tree, circled around Epona's feet, and made off into the mist.

Then we came to the body. A deer's carcass lay in a clearing in the trees, just enough light shining through to highlight its empty eyes and hollow skull. Saria gasped and shielded her eyes, and I stared down at it with great pity. It was one of the killings—the way it was ripped open, we could tell it wasn't a Wolfos. Something else killed the creature; from the look of the body, it was recent too, probably what we heard that morning. Cautiously, I glanced around the surrounding forest. What monster did it hide from us?

Suddenly, Epona reeled into the air in great terror, knocking Saria, Tuto (in Saria's shirt), and I off and onto the ground opposite the corpse. The first thing to hit the ground was our heads, and I instantly fell unconscious. Just before I was knocked out, I heard the tinkling of a fairy's wings not too far away.

-

When I regained conscious I heard a voice. "Let me play with that!" a high girl's voice whined. I continued to lay on the ground, listening.

"Just wait your turn, Sis," snapped a high-pitched boy's voice.

"But it isn't fair!"

"It's completely fair! Grow up, will you? Besides, it isn't your's anyway! The ocarina belongs to that girl."

I opened my eyes. Not too far in front of me, with all their backs turned, fluttered two fairies (one yellow, one purple) and a short imp dressed in red straw—a Skull Kid, the hollow body of a Hylian child who got lost in the woods and was stripped of their soul by the Deku Tree as punishment for trespassing. It held Saria's ocarina, and was joyfully playing it. Saria, I saw, lay on the ground in front of him, still unconscious.

"Wasn't that a great trick?" the Skull Kid cackled, his voice mischievous and crude. "Stupid horse."

"Maybe you should give that back now," the purple fairy (the boy) suggested.

"Heck no!" snapped the Skull Kid. "This baby's _mine_ now!"

I couldn't let that happen. Slowly, quietly, I rose from the ground and pulled my sword out of its sheath. I approached the Skull Kid, making sure not to step on a stick, when suddenly his fairies spotted me and sounded the alarm. The Skull Kid spun around, and for the first time I saw a face more treacherous and morbid than any I had ever witnessed. Blood dripped from the spikes protruding from its sides, and its bright yellow eyes instantly connected with my soul and seemed to twist it to its own pleasure. It took me a moment to realize the face was actually a mask, one so detailed I thought it was really alive. The shock at the sight of the mask left me vulnerable, and the Skull Kid had no intention of giving back his spoils. Before I could stop him, he seized Saria's body and jumped onto Epona's back with such agility and speed unnatural for the typically clumsy and slow-going Skull Kid. Skillfully screeching to Epona in a language I had never heard before (though it sounded eerily like a horse's), he succeeded in sending Epona into a gallop. I had only enough time to grab onto her leg. He wasn't going to get away with Saria, not if I could help it.

Though I tried as best I could to hold on, it was no use. As we approached a hollowed tree trunk I lost my grip on Epona's leg and scraped to a halt on the ground. Skull Kid rode off into the tree trunk and vanished into darkness. Needless to say, I hoistered myself off the ground and gave chase. "Thank goodness I brought my sword and shield," I mumbled to myself.

I did not expect there to be a giant pit inside the dark trunk. I ran right until I hit the edge, realizing my mistake and mentally kicking myself for it. It was too late, though, and I felt my vertigo go wild as all of gravity reached out and pulled me over the cliff. There was nothing I could do but fall, fall for what felt like miles. I have no idea how much time passed, but the pitch darkness of it all seemed to bring colors before my eyes, the sort of colors that squiggle around whenever one has their eyes closed and stares at the insides of their eyelids.

Eventually, though, I landed safely (though it was miraculous that I did so) on a bouncy flower that absorbed the impact. The flower was one I had never seen before with my own eyes, though I recognized it as being from Deku Country to the southeast in the Lost Woods. What it was doing here, at the bottom of what was surely a cave, I could not understand. The giant flower was almost big enough for me to fall into its large hole in the center—it was, if I wasn't mistaken, a Deku Flower, lit up by the dimmest of lights.

That all changed, though, when two blaring white lights flared on in front of me. They were at an angle, and focused with great intensity on a dark figure floating above the ground. "Wh-Who are you?" I asked, unable to see who it was but sure that, if it was the "Skull Kid," that this was no ordinary person.

"What's it to you?" the shadow answered, his voice reminiscent of the Skull Kid's but ten times more unnatural. It spoke not from a mouth, but from a soul.

"Are you..." I coughed grass out of my mouth. "Are you what's been eating all the animals?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I need blood to survive. Isn't that enough for you?"

As my eyes adjusted, I found that he was indeed the Skull Kid—mask and everything—floating in the air as if on an invisible couch. "I demand to know who you are!"

"...you'll know soon enough." The Skull Kid treated me as if I was some play thing, not taking any of my answers seriously.

"And why is that!?" I was really getting angry with this guy.

"What right do you have to know such confidential things? You seem to be just a little forest boy, and forest boys have no right to stand up to me."

"I'm the Hero of Time!" I snapped. "I bear Farore's blessing!"

That perked up the Skull Kid's interest. "Farore? That sniveling girl who tells everybody's secrets but never her own? The one with the big puffy hairdo and that obnoxious junk of a Book of Secrets? The one who claims courage, yet only has the gall to whisk people away with her spell of Wind? Laughable! Outrageous! So you are brave; yet you are not wise, and not powerful, so you have no right to speak with your superior!"

That was it. He'd gone too far. Not even Ganondorf could mock the goddesses; it was downright blasphamy! And as if that wasn't enough, I had just boosted the kid's _ego_! "You can't say that!" I roared. "You'll be punished for—"

"No, I think you are the one who shall be punished. You've pronounced yourself as an enemy, 'Boy of Farore,' and for that I shall degrade you to a point of no return." I fell back; somehow, that was a threat I felt he could carry out. "But before I turn you into a lump of coal, or worse, perhaps you would like to ask a question? Farore's blood is in your veins—I cannot disregard her need for information."

That was an odd request. But I thought and thought, until I came up with the most important question of them all. "What did you do with Saria and Epona?" I demanded, seeing as they weren't present.

"I've...disposed myself of them. That girl, she's a pain in the neck to carry. And the horse, she doesn't do as she's told! I did you a favor by getting rid of them...don't you think?" Skull Kid stared at me—or at least his mask did—and I suddenly felt trapped, realizing there was nowhere to hide in this small cave.

"No!" I growled, mustering up my last bit of courage. "You didn't kill them, did you!? You didn't kill them!?"

"No more questions..." replied the Skull Kid. He began to rattle his head left and right like a shaker, back-and-forth, back-and-forth, in such a hypnotic manner that my eyes began to involuntarily follow his mask's. They dug deep into my soul, and in the shaking, the rattling, all of which seemed to turn into sound, the eyes seemed to release something. There was a "click," and suddenly everything fell into darkness.

-

In the eternal darkness, the rattling continued in sound. It echoed throughout the universe, banging off of my body and soul, pounding my bones and denting my very brain. It drove me insane. I screamed, I clawed, and I ran, but no matter where I fled in that dark abyss, it always followed. "GO AWAY!" I screamed, clutching my head in pain as I ran. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Die, Link... Die..." answered the Skull Kid's demonic voice from nowhere in particular, his voice a whisper.

"STOP!" I pleaded. I ran and ran, until something appeared in the darkness before me. Saria's corpse lay on whatever surface I stood upon, her face blown out and hollow just like the deer's. I stared at it in horror, until another figure entered the strange altered reality. It was a Mad Scrub, one of the autumn leaved-Deku Scrubs that went rogue and lived by themselves in the Tarm Ruins. It stood on the other side of Saria, blood dripping from its nozzle-like snout. For the slightest moment we made eye contact, until without warning it launched forward into the air and landed on top of me.

It slammed its snout over my face and began sucking inward like a vacuum. Instantly my screams became soundless, absorbed by the nozzle, and even though I struggled I could not get the Mad Scrub off of me. It sucked and sucked, until I began to feel my very skin beginning to peel away. With a great ripping sound that lasted only for a second before being absorbed, the skin covering my face tore off my head and swirled into the swirling vortex in front of me. Then, pain burning all over my head, my blood and saliva followed in a whirling spiral, vanishing into darkness in front of me.

All of the sudden, though, there was a bright green light, and before I knew it, I was face-to-face with the Skull Kid once more. I collapsed to the cavern floor, shivering and sobbing in burning pain. In front of me, as it turned out, was a shallow pool of water. It soon dawned on me, looking into the water, that rather than my (surely now hideous) reflection, a Deku Scrub stared at me in the dark gloom. It only took me a few more seconds to realize, though, that the gloomy, miserable face staring back at me in the water _was_ my face. I flung my hands to my cheeks, but instead of a soft, smooth layer of skin, my hands hit a hard, coarse surface that felt an awful lot like bark. I screamed; it came out a pathetic squeak.

The Skull Kid leaned forward, his mask's menacing eyes now graced with a touch of intrigue. "Well, _this_ is a new look for you," he exclaimed. "It seems that hag may have had a bit of strength after all! She turned you into a Deku!" He roared in amusement. "You really do look lame now! It fits you, I think! I was going to give you a slow, burning, painful death, but I suppose this is better, _Deku_ boy!" I tried to answer something back, but couldn't move my now-wooden lips, and could only muster another squeak. "I love it!" Skull Kid clapped. "I really must be going now, though. I have business elsewhere. When you die, don't die by fire! Ho ho ho!"

Still jiggling in mirth, the Skull Kid began to float backwards towards a wall of the cave. The wall opened up behind him, and he continued to float through it, his two fairies in tow. A sudden burst of anger overcame me, and in my glowing Deku eyes all I could think of was revenge. I threw myself forward, struggling as best I could on my stubby wooden legs to catch up to the demon. Before I could reach him, though, the female fairy flew at me and started ramming my head, beating me backwards with a strength I didn't know existed in a fairy.

Eventually, my rage boiled back down into sorrow, and I slinked back, ashamed at my appearance and betrayed by my own goddess. The fairy laughed at me in glee. "How's it feel to be small, 'Hero of Time?'" she mocked.

Suddenly, an urgent call came from the male fairy, who had remained with Skull Kid. "Sis!" he cried. The female fairy only had enough time to spin around before the wall slammed shut, leaving her alone with me.

"Tael!" the female fairy screamed. "No!" She flew to the wall and banged on it in desperation. "Skull Kid, come back! Come baaaaaaack!" Shock overcame her, and she fluttered to the floor in exasperation.

I hated her with a passion, but to see that little fairy cry broke my heart. I was a hero; like it or not, it was my duty to help those in need. "Is..." I jumped in shock hearing my own voice come out of the nozzle I had for a mouth. This would take some getting used to. "Is there anything I can do?" I squeaked, standing above the fairy.

The fairy jumped into the air and growled at me. "Anything you can do!? You made me lose my brother, you... You..." She looked away. "Aw, who am I kidding? Skull Kid made me lose him. You just got along for the ride...idiot." She twirled around and stared me in the eye. "So I suppose there _is_ something you can do!" she fumed. "This here's a door. Open it!"

"O-Okay..." I looked askance and started searching for a way to open the door.

"Geez, what are ya, stupid too!? Here's the switch!" The fairy hovered over a small switch in the ground. I pressed it, and the wall flung open, revealing a dimly-lit tunnel ahead of us.

"Th-There you go... Um..."

"Tatl! Don't you forget it!" Without a thank you, Tatl darted into the tunnel and around a corner, leaving me to my own accordance. It wasn't for long, though, because she returned within a minute. "...okay, so, I was thinking, maybe you and I should, well, you know, team up. Or something." I frowned at her. "Okay, so maybe we did more bad onto you than you would have liked. But without me, you won't have the slightest clue where you're going! I'll have you know, this is a big cave!"

"Well if I'm so dumb, what do you need me for?" I retorted.

"Look at me, bozo. I'm itty-bitty! I can't do anything but talk and spit, and you DON'T want to see me spit. I need you to help me open doors and stuff."

I thought for a moment. "Well..." Navi was infinitely better than this creep of a fairy; but in my last adventure, I wouldn't have survived without a fairy companion. I had no idea what I was getting myself into here—perhaps a truce would benefit me in the end. "Okay. Truce?"

"...truce."

-

The tunnel proved to be long and deep, opening up into great caverns at times while narrowing itself into little crawl spaces at others. The entire time, a faint light illuminated the tunnel just enough so that I could see where my little Deku body was taking me. The only things driving me on were Saria, Epona, and the small hope that somehow, wherever I was going, I'd be able to find a way to change myself back.

Then, all of the sudden, I pulled a door open and discovered a new tunnel, its ceiling illuminated by what appeared to be the stars of the night sky, yet only a few yards away from my head. "Where _are_ we?" I asked, spellbound by the beauty of the ersatz heavens.

"You don't want to know, kid," Tatl grumbled. "Let me just say you're a long way from home. C'mon."

I followed Tatl through the starlit tunnel, awing at the glow of so many small lights, head staring at the "sky" above, until the whole world seemed to spin around me. Walls became floors, floors became ceilings, everything seemed to change, until I found myself walking through an entire sky, graced with no walls or doors but only the empty infinity of outer space. Far away, too far to be touched, stars glittered and sparkled in such a majesty that I felt dwarfed in their presence, a mere peasant standing before the gods. Though it felt like I stood on solid ground, I could see an infinite number of miles beneath me, and stopping to reach down I felt my hands sink lower than where my feet stood.

The door I had entered from seemed non-existent now, eons away, and I wondered where it was Tatl was leading me as we strolled through the stars. Eventually, though, I saw a particular star straight in front of me getting bigger and bigger. Finally, I stood right in front of it: another door, glowing a light blue like the stars. A great clock was painted on its stone surface, and a shiver went up my spine as I looked upon it. "Take a deep breath before opening this door," Tatl instructed. "If you don't take your air with you, you may lose it altogether."

Despite the odd reasoning behind the task, I was so hypnotized that I willingly took as deep a breath as I could. The door opened gently, but as soon as it was open we were sucked in side, not much different from the vortex of the Mad Scrub. Tatl and I crash landed onto a cold, stone floor, and the majestic doors slammed shut behind us.

"I do believe you deserve a welcome."

I jumped to my feet and looked around. An eerie green light glowed through what appeared to be the inside of a sort of contraption. A small underground river flowed past a waterwheel, which seemed to churn the motion of many metal gears above our heads. Around the waterwheel, a set of wooden stairs beckoned us. The voice seemed to come somewhere from above. I climbed the steps obediently, Tatl hiding underneath my hat as I did.

Nobody was there at the top. The gears continued to climb via a shaft through the center of the landing, but on the otherside was a giant double door with natural sunlight wafting through. "Finally!" I exclaimed, running towards the doors. Just before I could push them, though, the voice came again.

"I really wouldn't do that, if I were you. You may want to stop and think for a moment."

I spun around. A tall man towered above me at the top of the stairs, staring at me through squinted eyes and smiling with a grin so crooked it seemed maniacal and criminal. Most of the man's body was encased in shadows, masking anything below his violet jacket. The man did not say anything more, but merely grinned at me, so disarmingly that I couldn't help but be suspicious.

"W-Who are you?" I demanded, backing away. The overly pleasant face that glowed in the darkness seemed vaguely familiar, but...

"Do you not remember me? Perhaps your mind has been lost for the mad," the man laughed. His laugh was so jaunt and light-hearted that it made my wooden stomach squirm. "I am the Happy Mask Salesman, from Hyrule Town Market. You stopped by my shop one day, though I recall you being a bit...taller." The Happy Mask Salesman!? All the way in the middle of nowhere? "Your name was...Link, correct?"

Actually, if I remembered the incident correctly, I never gave him my name. EVER. "How did you know?" I squeaked.

"I've been following you," the mysterious man grinned, as if it were all some game. He even laughed again. "Ever since I saw you dragging on that horse. You see, the imp you encountered..."

"Skull Kid?"

"...yes, him. He has something of mine. Something I must have dearly. Do you know what it is?"

I shook my head. The darkness around the salesman seemed to grow denser. "I have a feeling you'll tell me."

"That mask... The one he so joyously wears on his head. It belongs to me, and I need it back." He put strong emphasis on those last few words. Almost a sort of growl.

"So why did you follow me?"

"...do you know where you are?"

"I... Well, no." I looked around. The green glow of the cave did nothing to indicate my location. It was somewhere I had never been before, somewhere foreign. Holodrum, perhaps?

"You are in a world vastly unlike your own," he explained, stepping forward. I, in turn, took a step back. "This cave is the link between our world and another. This new world is far different from our own. It feasts off of people's memories and dreams, and time behaves like an author, writing out a rough draft before going back and editing details. A place where spirits from one world intermingle and possess the bodies of another. This world, Termina, shouldn't exist; the goddesses destroyed it ages ago before even the Civil War of Hyrule. But somebody brought it back."

I leaned forward. "Who?"

"...a worse monster than any ever perceived of in any of the four kingdoms. Its existence, I have learned through my studies, is linked to masks." His grin seemed to grow even wider, and was directed towards me in an almost malevolent passion. "That is why I invest so much time in the collection of masks—they guard the door to this abandoned world. The world where death and tragedy is inevitable, and where people have lost so much faith in hope that they wither in the darkness of their own gazes. It is a doomed country, a pitiful country; that is why the gods so wanted it gone. Not out of hatred, but out of pity. They wanted the suffering to end."

"Then... Why would anybody bring it back?"

"If you truly wish to step into Termina, shed your Hylian shell, and walk amongst the spirits and dreams, then you must find out on your own. Have faith... Believe." The Happy Mask Salesman approached me, but this time I didn't try to escape. He stood a mere yard away from me, high above my tiny Deku head, and laughed. He then bent down, so that his head hung just above my ear, and whispered, "I can change you back."

"What?" I gasped. "How!?"

"Bring me a music maker; that is all I need," the Happy Mask Salesman replied, standing up straight. "But before you leave, I must warn you: I expect compensation."

"What... What do you want?"

Again, the Salesman whispered. "...his mask." What little hope I had drained. The Skull Kid was immensely powerful—how was I supposed to get ahold of his mask!? "I leave Termina in three days," the Salesman warned.

"Deal!" I exclaimed, before I really had time to weigh things over.

"Perfect," the salesman chuckled, sinking back into the darkness. "I shall wait for you here. Happy searching, Link."

I stumbled around and put my hands on the doors. "...yeah, same to you..." With a great shove, I pushed them open and stepped outside.

To my astonishment, I stepped straight into a city. It was a city, though, that I had never dreamed of. The buildings towered into the sky, scraping at the heavens, and reflecting the sky and clouds as if made of glass or metal—maybe even both! The stone roads were torn down the middle by inky black tar that had cooled into a strange solid surface. Bizarre machines shaped like animals paced back and forth atop the tar, never daring to step on the stone, but with such speed that I could hardly keep an eye on a single one. People sat inside the machines, laughing and socializing; but these people didn't have pointy ears like Hylians.

Looking behind me, the building I had stepped out of was one of those tower things, half as tall as a mountain from the looks of it. A massive disc covered each of the four sides of the building near the top, with great swinging arms that moved in such fluidity that they seemed almost alive. I had been inside a clock tower at a scale I had never seen before—if the buildings in this city were enormous, this one dwarfed even them!

"Excuse me, sir," a man's voice addressed from behind me. I turned away from the tower, only to find one of those mechanical animals (this one particularly long) stopped right in front of me, a man with a head like a purple goat peeking out from the side near the end. "Are you new around these parts? I don't think we've indexed you yet. Where are your parents?"

"N-Not around," I stammered. What was I supposed to say?

"...oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, what's your name, then?"

"Link... I've never been here..."

"Just 'Link?'"

"Y-Yeah, just 'Link.'"

"Well then, Link, let me introduce myself. I am Dotour, mayor of Clock Town. May I be the first to welcome you to Termina. Ahem... Welcome!" He threw colored paper bits out of the window of his machine. He then abruptly closed his machine's window, and the animal thing zoomed away in a poof of smoke, leaving me to cough in its exhaust and contemplate what I was supposed to do now.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** I hope you enjoyed it, however short! I've got big plans for _Shadow Apocalypse_--you may see some of them already in this chapter. But as I said before, I'm not going to forget about Fallen Matriarch--there will be no more chapters of Sovereign Swamped until the former is done.

Please write a review! They're to me what Heart Containers are in the Zelda series--my only source of survival!


	2. The Cure

**A Note from the Author:** _Finally_, right? I've been writing this since November 1st (though I took a break obviously for Fallen Matriarch; if you haven't been following my Ocarina of Time series, _Dark Mind_, that series is now completed). The reason this took so long, as you'll find out reading it, is because there was just so much to cover; it really required the story to have four parts, but the fourth part in Fallen Matriarch was for dramatic effect and I wanted to stick to my "three part rule," so Part II is a giant. 51 pages. 51 freaking pages. Buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, because this is a long one. (if you want a word count, it's 29,960 words, about 9,000 more than the fourth part of Fallen Matriarch)

* * *

**Part II ~ The Cure**

For a while I wandered the streets of Clock Town aimlessly, absent from true reality, staring at the bizarre world I stood in. It was a strange combination of things so unnatural they must have been real, and things so unnatural they looked like hallucinations from some drug. Every now and then I came across somebody who looked so familiar that I could have sworn I knew them from somewhere, yet they existed and behaved so differently that they couldn't possibly have been anybody I knew. Nobody paid me a second look, yet I stared at everybody I passed. They weren't dressed decently at all—the girls, for example, wore short pants and sleeveless shirts that made them look half-naked, and the men paraded around in over-sized tunics that slung back at the top almost like a cloak's hood. They spoke a language similar to Hylian, but some words didn't make any sense, and their accent was one I had never heard before. Their ears weren't the least bit pointy. For lack of a better word, I called them "Termites."

All around were machines that baffled me every time I looked at them. Strange gadgets, no bigger than a river rock, that people seemed to have one-way conversations with. Giant birds flew overhead, though way higher than I had ever seen a bird fly before, until I realized that fire propelled the bird—a machine, though a bigger one than I had ever imagined—through the heavens at phenomenal speed. Where it glided, I hadn't the slightest notion, but at such speeds and such heights I could have guessed it was going into the Great Beyond (that's what we decidedly called whatever it is that is higher than the sky). They didn't move upwards, though, only sideways, so perhaps they were just going from Point A to Point B, and both were just really, really high up. At ground level, I found that the strange horseless carriages were a part of an incredible variety—there were big ones, small ones, long ones, short ones, red ones, and even jet-black ones, all spewing dirty smog from their rear-ends that made me realize how clean horse-riding was in comparison.

After reminding myself about my mission, though, I began to look for a place the Skull Kid might have gone. He was a bit of a shady character (perhaps that was an understatement), so I decided the best place to look would be in the alleyways, at least if they were the same as they were in Hyrule. Hustling down one of the concrete streets that no carriage seemed to step on with my head firmly focused on the ground (I was the only Deku there; that tipped me off that Dekus weren't exactly commonplace), I darted my fluorescent eyes this way and that searching for a break in the buildings. When I finally found one, it was the darkest place in the whole city. Both buildings on either side of the narrow passage cast black shadows onto it, so that though it was glaring mid-day outside, it seemed virtually night inside. It was a relief when I found my eyes cast a dim sort of light; without the light of my eyes and of Tatl's glow, I probably would have been blinded!

The alley stank like the inside of a giant garbage can. I had the notion that the stench was coming from somewhere nearby—possibly one of the many green vats lining the road, but I was too short to see their tops and find out what was inside them. I didn't know what sort of odor Tatl made when she'd had too much to eat, but in case it was her I decided it would be rude to ask about the smell, and just kept it to myself. The alley wasn't perfectly straight—it had some twists and turns—but no matter where I went I couldn't find Skull Kid or his violet fairy companion.

We just came around one bend when I met a dog, roughly the same size and breed of Mamamu Yan's favorite dog in Hyrule Castle Town. My first thought was why in the world such a cute animal was in a dark alleyway, but that idea changed when it took one look at me, started foaming in the mouth, and barked the most vicious of barks. I didn't know what came over it, but the look in its eyes told me death was invited to the party. "Don't just stand there, kid!" Tatl urged. "Run!"

I spun around and broke into as fast of a run as my stubby legs could take me, and the dog didn't like that one bit. He chased me over garbage cans, green vats (which I quickly discovered had lots and lots of garbage), cardboard boxes, past poor people, and just kept hunting me down wherever I fled. At last I broke out back into the bright avenues of the city, but when I looked back I saw that most hateful of canines doubling his speed.

With a cry (which was more of a squeak), I began pushing past people as best I could, traveling upstream through crowd after surprised crowd, fleeing from that horrible monster who wouldn't give up no matter where I ran. Everywhere began to look the same, every building identical to the last, every street no less congested than the last, and I was becoming horribly lost. That's when, all of the sudden, everything changed. I was suddenly weaving in and out of trees, until with a burst I flung myself through a dense bush and emerged in a sort of grassy clearing.

The dog was still behind me. "Somebody, help me!" I cried, mentally swearing at the Skull Kid for depriving me of my sword somehow during the transformation.

A boy wearing blue, coarse pants and a white shirt with blue sleeves looked up from the pond he was throwing rocks into and watched as I approached. Suddenly he burst into action. "Hey kid!" he called determinedly. "Over here! Jump onto that lily pad over there!" He directed my attention to a large lily pad floating on the pond.

"Are you crazy!?" I squealed. "I can't jump that far!"

"You can do it if you try!" the boy urged.

"Deku Scrubs can bounce on the water's surface," Tatl whispered into my ear sharply. "Just hop across the pond to it. You'll be fine, you big baby!"

I nodded and put some extra speed into my legs. The water's edge was approaching quickly. "What am I doing!?" I muttered to myself in shock, bracing myself for the transition from land to water. I was practically throwing my life away! Dekus couldn't swim!

But then all contact with the ground vanished, and I flailed in the air cursing myself for being such a gullible idiot. All of the sudden, though, there was a light splash and I found myself flying through the air again, as if I had jumped. And then another splash, another gust of air, another splash, another gust of air, and with a clumsy thud I landed feet-first on the lily pad. To my astonishment, it didn't give way to my weight, but merely bobbed in the water as it shook from my landing.

Directing my attention back to land, I saw a shocking sight. The boy, though he was surely just a tad bit smaller than _my_ scrawny body, had dived for the dog and was now rolling across the ground with the wild beast in his hands. They scratched and clawed at each other with such ferocity I couldn't tell who was going to live and who would die. Blood splattered across the ground as the dog ran its claws across the little boy's cheek, but the blood of a canine splashed when the boy bit at the dog's ear. They scuffled and struggled for a good while, I helplessly watching from the loyal lily pad.

Finally, though, the dog decided enough was enough and scurried off as quickly as its limping legs would take it. The boy, with his ridiculous blue hat that looked like a duck's head still decently intact, growled and barked at the dog as it went. But he stayed in his place, and when the canine was gone he wiped his hands and, oblivious to the blood staining his once-white shirt, looked over at me with a smile. "Sorry I took so long," he grinned, as if the whole battle had been nothing. "He put up more of a fight than I thought."

"What... How... Are you okay?" I stammered with concern. His cheek was dripping with blood.

The kid just waved it off. "Oh, this is nothing. If you can believe it, my father was part-Moblin. I can deal more than a few punches at some dumb dog. It really had something in for you; don't you know they don't like your kind?"

I shook my head dumbfoundedly. "Are you a Termite?" I asked.

The boy laughed. "You mean a Termanian? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I hear no end of it from the others, but my dad wasn't _that_ much of a pig." He motioned for me to join him on the side of the pond. "Come on, hop back across!"

I nodded and hesitantly skipped back across the water, still shocked that I wasn't sinking in it. All around me I could still hear the busy humming of the horse-less carriages, despite my forest surroundings. "Where _am_ I?" I inquired as I landed thankfully on firm ground.

"Don't you know? We're in Clock Face Park. This is the Recreational District in northern Clock Town." Now that he was able to get a close look at me, the boy seemed puzzled by my appearance. "You don't look like a normal Deku Scrub. What did you say your name was?"

"Link. And, uh... That's because I'm from a distant country."

"Really? I haven't seen many foreign Deku Scrubs, or at least ones from distant countries, but okay." He put his hand out. "The name's Tommy, and I'm a Bomber. Pleased to be of your assistance." I shook his hand, and was pleased to find that it put a big smile on his face.

"Who or what's a Bomber?"

"A member of the Bomber Society! Clock Town's so big that there are always people in need of help. Ol' Mayor Dotour doesn't seem to give the slightest interest to the needy, and the government certainly isn't required to lend some neighborly assistance to people, so we're a group of kids who have banded together to help out those who need it, no matter who or what they are." He was practically beaming. He must have been really proud. "Our leader's going to run for Mayor of the Confederacy one day and oust old man Dotour once and for all, and we get to be his cabinet members! Think of it: all day, every day, people's troubles will be solved responsibly and completely. That's our long-term goal!"

"Wow," I remarked. "You guys have really thought this out." I was surprised by his intellect; living with Kokiri all my life I wasn't that exposed to the natural growing up of children, but I could have sworn I didn't know that much about the Deku Tree when I was his age.

He nodded. "You're pretty lucky this lake was here to get you to safety. I don't know if I could have held that mangy mutt away from you otherwise." Tommy gestured towards the lake. "The Great Fairy must be looking out for you."

Tatl squealed and hid under my hat, but Tommy didn't seem to notice. "The Great Fairy!?" I burst out, hope flowing through my veins. If she was here, then I'd have no trouble at all finding Skull Kid! "She's here!?"

"Yeah! This is her lake, or her fountain as the old-fashioned coots like to say. You could even talk to her if—"

"If?"

"—if she hadn't blown up."

I could feel the water in my wooden veins (phloem I think they're called?) drain from my face. "Blown... Blown up?"

Tommy nodded and frowned. "A member of the Bomber Society did it. A new-comer—a strange imp guy in an orange straw outfit. He passed our induction test and we let him join, and before we knew it we had a great influx in unhappy people. The worst of it was when we all witnessed him blow up the Great Fairy. We excommunicated him from our group after that; that's why we aren't accepting non-Termanians anymore, sorry Link."

"Skull Kid!" I roared, stamping the ground angrily. "He _knew_ I'd try the Great Fairy!"

"Skull Kid?" Tommy blinked. "Is that his name? That's kinda...dark, don't ya think?" I didn't reply, but simply fumed and thought every bad thought about the Skull Kid that I could. For a while there was silence. After seeing how furious I was, Tommy offered, "You know, we've almost finished putting her back together. If you helped, I'm sure we could get her good to go in no time."

"What?" I demanded. "I'll do it! Just tell me how!"

"Golly, you're into this, aren't you? It's a shame we aren't accepting Deku into our Society, you'd be great..."

"Just tell me! I haven't got much time!"

"Okay, okay! When she blew up, she exploded into fifteen stray fairies that scattered themselves around Clock Town. We've gotten all but one; we think its somewhere in the Federal or Residential Districts in the eastern part of the city. If you could go look for her there, that would let us continue to look for that ratty traitor."

I calmed down. "Perfect. I'm good at finding things." With the exception of Skull Kids. "Just show me how to get there."

The boy nodded and pulled out a wrinkled map. "This is a map of Clock Town. I'm sure if you use it, you'll find the two districts soon enough. The Federal District is the closest. Just go that way." He pointed at a path leading into a dense clump of trees in the "park." I thanked him for his help, and set off for the Federal District.

-

Stepping into the Federal District was like stepping into Hyrule Castle—it was grandiloquent, pompous, and downright aristocratic in every meaning of the word. All the finest buildings were there—with but a glimpse, I knew without a doubt that there wasn't a grander set of structures anywhere else in the city. People dressed differently here—I caught a glimpse of some Hyrule-esque fashions, such as the large gowns and black tailcoats, but there was still a foreign feel to it that reminded me I was far from home. The stark white pavement covering everywhere the black roads didn't cover was so clean, so spotless, that they must have been cleaned every night. Grand manors dotted the landscape in the shadows of the taller buildings, and every one had a large yard lined with golden fences. I could see what Tommy had meant—the people here were so capitalistic (a word Saria worked very hard to teach me) that they certainly didn't have the time to bother with people's needs. I myself felt almost out of place, my tunic (or what the Skull Kid left of it) dirty and speckled with mud. Talk about self-conscious.

"I wonder where we'll find that Stray Fairy?" I mumbled to myself. Mumbling was difficult to do as a Deku, so it didn't help that I was a mumbler.

"Do we _have_ to find it?" Tatl whined. "Can't we search for the Skull Kid some other way?"

I shook my head. "Nope, we're finding the Great Fairy. Unlike you, I have nothing to hide."

"Are you calling me a criminal!?" she snapped.

And so we began our search. I wasn't exactly sure what a Stray Fairy looked like, only that the way Tommy talked about them they were different from fairies that were stray, like my beloved Navi. I felt like I was back to where I started: looking for a fairy in a forest, except this time it wasn't Navi and the forest was made of stone and metal.

At some point we passed what absolutely had to have been the capitol. It was shaped like a castle, except more business-like and less fortress-like. Surrounded on every side by cold, jet black iron bars, a silver sign above a large gate read, "Château Dotour." A smaller sign added, "For business involving the Festival of Time, please use the side gate." I whistled in awe, taking in the majestic palace. It topped Hyrule Castle hands down. There was no greater a spectacle than seeing a flock of autumn birds pass in front of the castle's silver spires and turquoise roofs. I had to stop and absorb the sight. The city of Clock Town was scary and intimidating, but it had some beauty in unexpected places.

Before continuing, I noted a very large billboard a few yards down from the gate. A strikingly handsome man was depicted on half of it—the rest was information. In big letters on top, the sign read, "Missing: Kafei Dotour; any information regarding his whereabouts will be greatly rewarded."

-

Noon turned into late afternoon, and I still hadn't found the stray fairy. I had been making my way south towards the Residential District, but was still on federal ground. It seemed like my first premonition was wrong, and the fairy would not be in the Federal District. "It's a shame," I sighed, letting out a garbled squeak in doing so. "I would have liked to find it here."

The sparkling beauty of the Federal District vanished with the light. The enormous buildings cast massive shadows even before dusk, and my search was quickly shrouded in darkness. The ethereal appearance of Termina had been lost to me for a while, but it quickly sneaked its way back into my luminescent eyes. The moon, just becoming visible though the sun wasn't down yet, seemed enormous, while the straight shape of buildings seemed to bend and twist until they were crooked abnormalities similar to the walls of the Temple of Despair in my last adventure. The darkness seemed darker, and the light all the more frightening, for evil lurked in the light.

I became lost once more, in streets without names, as the world of Termina quickly shifted from dream to nightmare. Going down one street merely brought me right back to its entrance, and people spoke in such nonsense that I gave up trying to ask them for directions. It was as if in the darkness Termina lost all sense of reality, and became the product of some child's disturbing imagination.

Because of the time of the year, it was almost twilight before 5:00pm, and I was having more and more difficulty seeing the world in front of me. I was sure I was still in the Federal District—there were too many gaps in the tall buildings for there to not be manors—but I didn't know where. Tatl wasn't much help; as long as I searched for the Great Fairy, she refused to give me any assistance.

Then, as I stepped under the light of a streetlamp (curiously an electric light rather than a gas one), something came lumbering towards me in the darkness. It was shaped like a Termanian—yet, though I tried hard to disprove my theory, it didn't move like one at all. Rather than walk upright in a straight fashion, its movements were more like stumbles forward in a very wobbling manner that prevented it from moving in anything close to a straight line. As it grew closer and closer, I could hear it making strange sounds: laughs, giggles, followed by empty sounds with no meaning at all, then a snarl, a scream, and laughter once more.

"I don't like it," Tatl shuddered. "Let's get out of here!"

"Wait," I replied, though I was certainly trembling in my boots. "I want to see what exactly it is."

The figure drew closer and closer, and I saw that its back was hunched forward, and that it was a he, and that he was most certainly a Termanian. Shirtless, barefoot, and in a crippled stance, though, I was sure that something was definitely wrong. I started taking steps backwards, more than a little intimidated and frightened of what I was realizing was approaching. "H-Hello?" I asked. "Wh-Who are you?"

The man stopped and stared. I could see the whites of his eyes reflecting the light. At first he didn't say anything. Then, with a sudden burst, he screamed, monologued nonsense at such a speed that it didn't matter that I couldn't connect the words, and lunged forward with startling speed. I squealed and spun my tiny body around to run away, but before I could get away he pounced on me from behind. I heard Tatl scream before I hit the pavement. The disturbed figure stood on top of me, stomping down with his feet while singing some merry tune. I tried to push him off, but in my Deku body I was too weak to do anything or risk splitting my body.

Suddenly, I saw a light flash on in the corner of my eye and saw the fluttering shadows of feet scrambling across the street. The man on top of me cried out, but before he could do anything the feet all surrounded me and silenced him. I couldn't look up, but from the sound of it he had been accosted and was being gagged and tied up. I let out a squeak, and one of the men must have heard me because the mob lifted the disturbed man off of me, allowing me to scramble out of the cluster. Unfortunately, before I could get far enough, one of the men seized my back and lifted me into the air. "Not so fast, little boy," he said from behind me. "We need to get you back to mom and dad. You're coming with us!"

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, struggling without prevail.

"You're coming back with us to Jalhalla Asylum. Don't worry, you'll be home in no time."

"Tatl?" I cried. "Tatl!?" My companion was nowhere to be found. I had been deserted.

-

I was sat down on a soft, brown chair rather forcefully. The two men, all dressed in white, didn't leave the small room, but stood back by the door. Another man sat in a chair on the other side of a wide table. I didn't need to be Saria to guess he was a doctor, or of some similar profession.

"First of all," the man in front of me said, his chair directed away from me and towards a dark window, "I'd like you to know that you are perfectly safe now. The man who attacked you was a catatonic man who happened to have escaped not too long before you met him. He is, I'm sorry to say, a severe case of schizophrenic; we've been trying electroconvulsive therapy on him, but no matter how hard we electrocute him he doesn't seem to break his habit of treating strangers like potential threats. He attacked you because he thought you were out to kill him." If I had a jaw, it would have dropped. Electrocution was illegal in Hyrule, under some of the harshest penalties. From the sound of it, it was no less legal in Termina than eating more than one baguette. The chair swung around, and I was face-to-face for the first time with the man.

"So, why don't you tell me who you are, so I can get you back to your parents?" the doctor asked me calmly, pulling out a pencil and a notepad from his pocket. He looked quite relaxed in his swiveling, reclining metal chair, with crimson cushions on it and wheels on the bottom. Dressed all in white, he looked very little like the maverick doctors in Hyrule. There didn't seem to be a hint of magical items in his office; instead, strange devices and half of a Termanian skull lay on a shelf underneath the black window. A strange, oval-like, greyish-pink thing floated in a water-filled jar on his desk, riddled with grooves and squiggles. Somehow, I didn't want to know what it was.

"M-My name's Link," I answered rather timidly. This office was a very intimidating place for a little Deku Scrub.

"Link?" He scribbled something down on his paper. "That's an odd name for a Deku Scrub. Usually it's Igor, or Joseph, or something like that. What's your last name?"

"My what?"

"Your last name."

"...Link, as I said."

The doctor wrote something down. "No, I mean your second name. You know, like Mussorgsky, or Tchaikovsky, or whatever other name your kind gives. Your family name."

I shook my head. "I don't have one, just Link." My family had died before I ever learned their last names. Koume made sure of that.

The doctor wrote more notes. "Ah, I _see_." Suddenly, he seemed quite more interested in me, and stared deeply into my eyes before scribbling something else down. He smiled a very transparent smile. I shuffled uncomfortably in my chair. Taking a quick peek behind me, the men were still blocking the door. "So, Link, where do you come from?" the doctor asked.

"Listen," I began, deciding that as a man of science, he was the best person to ask, "I have a question. Is it possible that there are other worlds? Apart from Termina?"

The doctor rose an eyebrow and continued writing. "Well of course there are, if you mean countries. Termina is but an alliance between the four worlds. We are a confederation between the Termanians, the Deku, the Gorons, and the Zoras. But of course Termina isn't all that's there—we have an ocean, you know."

"No, I mean... How do I say this...? What if there was another world, with different countries entirely? One in a different reality than this one?"

The doctor seemed to circle something. I hoped it was something good. "And what countries would those be?" he asked pleasantly.

Oh please, Goddess of Secrets, let this not be a mistake. "Four. Hyrule, Labyrinna, Holodrum, and Arbiterus."

He nodded. "And are you from one of these?" Now I nodded. He wrote something down and leaned back in his chair, practically beaming. "I see. Link, I think I may be able to help you."

I nearly burst from my chair. "Really? You mean you believe me?" I cried, absolutely delighted. Perhaps I had a way home at last!

"Indeed." He motioned for the two men to come forward. They stood on either side of me.

"What are they for?" I chuckled nervously, looking from one to the other.

"They're here to help. You have a form of schizophrenia; you're delusional, and are under the notion that you are from a different world. Thanks to modern science, after a few sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, we'll have you cured and back on the streets in a couple of months. In the meantime, we'll see if we can get ahold of your parents."

I jumped from my seat. "_WHAT!?_" I cried. Before I could do anything more, the two men seized my arms and lifted me into the air.

"Take him to Section Gamma," the doctor instructed the two men. "He doesn't need too strong of a cell." He looked back at me with a disturbingly soothing smile. "Don't worry, Link. You'll be back with mommy and daddy soon enough." He patted me on the head, and without further discussion the men took me out of his office.

As they dragged me down a narrow, bland hall, all I could do was cry out for Tatl. She could vouch for me, I told them. She knew the truth! But no matter how loud or how long I called, the yellow fairy didn't show any signs of being even remotely close. How could she have deserted me!? It was unthinkably selfish of her! I was possibly on my way to a death bed, and she was _where_?

As we passed a door with a window, though, I saw something that nearly made my heart skip a beat. There, on the other side of the door, was a strange, glowing little pixie looking helplessly lost. Without a doubt, she was the Stray Fairy!

With a newfound burst of adrenaline I struggled against the grip of the two men with all my might, and finally broke free. "Hey, get back here!" one commanded as I darted under their legs and back for the door with the fairy.

"Security!" the other one called to somewhere. "Security! We have an escape attempt in Hallway 95! Get the squad over here as soon as possible—he's a tricky one!"

To my horror, I found I wasn't at all tall enough to reach the doorknob. "Curse that Skull Kid!" I roared, watching as the distance between myself and the two men grew ever shorter. With a final effort, I jumped into the air as high as I could, and my fingertips just made it around the knob. I turned it as fast as I could, and the door swung inward taking me with it. The two men shot past me, though I knew they'd turn around very soon.

"Quick!" I ordered the Stray Fairy. "I know where the other fairies are! We have to get out of here, now!"

"You know where they are?" the fairy (though it looked nothing like Navi) sniffled.

"Yes, yes!" I hurried. "Let's get out of here, I don't have time to talk!"

"O-Okay..." The Stray Fairy fluttered out of the office, just in time for me to duck and avoid the two men, who had dived through the air in an effort to snatch me. They crashed into the wall opposite the door. As soon as the fairy was out, I pulled the door shut and bolted.

"Do you know the way out?" I panted. "There's going to be more of them any second!"

"I... I think so. Follow me." I nodded and followed her as she darted down one hall to the side, then another, and so forth. Pretty soon, a double door came into sight. "Here's the exit," the Stray Fairy hummed. I was practically bursting with joy, until a large group of men ran in through an adjoining hall and blocked the way out.

"Hold it right there! You can't escape!" growled one of the men, holding what I could have sworn was a whip in his hands.

"Silence, you!" scolded the Stray Fairy. She emitted an orange glow, and suddenly the men were scattered through the air all across the room, leaving a clear path towards the door. "Now, brave lad, hurry!" Without hesitation, I scrambled out the door, Stray Fairy in tow.

"Now what?" I gasped. Looking behind us, I saw the men begin to get to their feet. "They won't be down for long!"

"We have to get out of here," the fairy explained. It was as if Navi had returned. "Where are the others?"

"Back in your fountain."

"Then it is to there that we must flee, brave swordsman. Do you know the way?" I shook my head. "Then follow me."

It was as if the entire district had been put on alert. Men in white stood at every intersection, and it wasn't long before we were spotted and had to run once again. They were like ghosts, standing out in the darkness as if phantoms looking for souls to feed on. "Who are these people?"

"They are Dotour's secret police. The psychiatric ward seems to have let out a notice for your arrest. Whatever did you do, most noble of knights?"

"I didn't do anything!" I snapped. "They think I'm supposed to be in the loony bin!"

"And _are_ you?"

"_No_!"

"Hopefully they'll realize that soon. You're as good as a criminal now. What were you doing near the asylum anyway? In my former shape, I was under the notion that they were notorious for false diagnosis."

"Looking for you!" I panted. "Some psychotic man attacked me, and they arrested both of us."

"Ah, I see... Perhaps, then, I can cause them a bit of amnesia when we get home."

"If you did that, I would be so grateful."

At last, I could see the trees of Clock Face Park. "We aren't far now," the Stray Fairy explained. "Hold on!" She glowed again, and suddenly the world just seemed to flash by, and in a few seconds short of an instant I was standing beside the Great Fairy's fountain. Its waters glowed a brilliant blue, sending a heavenly glow up from the lake and into the sky. The other Stray Fairies floated in the air above it. The lily pad I had jumped onto before hovered at the center of the pond.

Without another word my Stray Fairy joined the others, and they all sank into the lake. Water droplets rained upwards from the lake and spiraled around in a funnel, each separate from the rest so that it was almost like a vortex of stars shining off of the fountain's glow. There was a bellowing laugh of untainted joy, and a giant woman splashed out of the water and through the funnel to its top. The lily pad grew in size until it was large enough to support the giant's weight, and she subsequently sat atop it. Though entirely naked, the woman was so perfect in form that it seemed only fitting that she not be harbored by clothes. She was, after all, a higher being than I.

"Thank you, brave swordsman, for resurrecting me," she cooed, resting one cheek in her hand and surveying me with great curiosity. Her voice was deep but soothing, and in her presence I knew no danger could befall me. "And, of course, the Bomber Society deserves my kindness when I next see them."

"Thank you for helping me. That's twice you got me out of trouble," I replied. She'd led me to the fountain when the dog was chasing me, and she cleared the way for my escape from the asylum. I was practically indebted to her.

"It was nothing, dear. After all, you are a bit out of place in our world, aren't you? I thought you could use a little help."

I blinked. "You mean...you know?"

"Certainly! I can see through that weak disguise; whoever put it on you certainly didn't put a lot of effort into it. You aren't from Termina; no, I'd say you aren't from this dimension at all."

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get out, would you?"

"Sorry, dear. I don't specialize in teleportation; I am the Great Fairy of Magic. The Great Fairy of Motion is across the ocean."

"Oh..." I thought for a moment. "Well, do you think you could change me back?"

She shook her head in dismay. "No, that would be the power of the Great Fairy of Shape. She's in the old Garo Kingdom, which is many miles east of here, even past the Great Fairy of Power."

I sighed. "Then I guess I'm stuck like this." I could have cried.

"Not so fast, dearie." She waved a finger at me. "If I'm reading you correctly, you're looking for somebody. I can tell you precisely where he or she is."

"Really?" I asked. "Then can you tell me where my fairy Navi is?"

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I am sorry to tell you this, but Navi the Fairy does not exist in our world. In fact..." She thought further. I decided she wasn't actually thinking, but searching. "I'm getting strange signals. Could it be that she doesn't exist...at all?"

"But that's impossible," I groaned. "It must be because she's back in my world."

"I'm not too sure... Unless she's really..." The Great Fairy cut off there and sighed. "I think this is beyond my power, child of the foreign forest. But can I find you another soul?"

"What about Skull Kid?" I asked.

"That I can help you with. That atrocious scoundrel should be...oh, I'd say somewhere in the east by now. The Astral Observatory, perhaps? Up to no good, if you ask me. All of Termina seems to be succumbing to his dark powers. I hope he doesn't plan on going any farther east than he already has."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. I'm just talking to myself, most observant of warriors."

"Do you know how I can get to the observatory? I have to get something back from the Skull Kid."

"The path above ground is far too dangerous for a Deku imposter. I would recommend you keep away from that Skull Kid. He is more powerful than I am; I underestimated his abilities, and look at the price I had to pay for it."

I shook my head. "I have to find him. I don't have a choice."

The Great Fairy was silent for a moment, staring at me with great concern. At last, she gave in. "Well, if you must search him out... I must depart in a few minutes to make sure my sisters haven't been harmed, but before I go allow me to bestow a gift upon you." She held out her hands to me and blew. Green droplets swirled around me and grew closer and closer, until they were absorbed into my wood. "Any magic you learned in your world cannot work here; I have given you magic powers, therefore, to help you in your most dangerous of journeys. I hope they will be of some use to you." With little more than a wink, she bellowed another deep laugh and vanished back into the pool. I watched her disappear, spellbound by the beautiful glow of the water. Yet again, I found that there was some beauty in this bizarre world of Termina.

As I turned to leave, though, the Great Fairy's voice echoed in my head. "One other thing, young swordsman: if time proves too much for you to handle, play the Song of Time. Fantastic things shall happen."

-

Night quickly fell like a raindrop from the sky, and I was nowhere close to finding the Skull Kid. Though there were faint stars in the sky from the park, most of the nighttime sky was diffused by the bright lights of Clock Town's buildings, which for whatever reason didn't care about the time and kept going past sundown. Even though people should have been going to sleep, the city was as busy as ever.

I slumped onto a fallen-over log and rested my cheeks in my hard hands. I had very little intention of roaming about the streets at night in a city like this, and decided to stay where I was until dawn. As I sat, I awed at how terrifying this world was; it was nothing like the relatively simple Hyrule. "I wonder how Saria's doing?" I sighed quietly. "I hope she's alright..." She could be more frightened than I was; where did Skull Kid hide her? She had never been out of the Lost Woods before. This must be overwhelming for her, in a new, urbanized world with nowhere to go. Was she stranded like I was? Or was she being held prisoner by that most horrible Skull Kid? I wished for some sort of sign, but all I got was a cold, dry breeze.

"Hey, it's you!" Tommy was walking down a path when he saw me and rushed over. "What's the matter, Link? You're looking a bit glum. As a Bomber, I'm supposed to help glum people. Is there anything I can do? Were you able to find the Stray Fairy?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes. I did. And I wish there was something you could do."

The Bomber sat to my side on the log. "What's the matter? You _sound_ glum too."

I sighed. "Oh, you wouldn't understand. I... I'm looking for that imp you guys were talking about before. I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"You're right, I can't help you. But I think I know somebody who can!" He hopped off the log. "Come on! I'm gonna take you to Jimmy! _He_ can help you!"

I lifted my head. "Who's Jimmy?" I asked.

"He's the leader of our gang! He's really cool, you'll love him! Come on!" The Bomber ran back down the path. I watched him vanish out of sight, until I realized I was losing sight of him and ran after the boy. It wasn't hard to see him in the light; even though it was nighttime, the moonlight was so bright and the buildings were so alive that the only darkness came from the shadows of the trees. He was so fast, though, that I had trouble keeping up as he went around bends, jumped streams, and climbed over small ledges. The nighttime air, once silent, was now full of the crunching of dead leaves.

Finally, we arrived at some open space deep in the middle of the park. I was surprised to see that there was a lot of children, almost enough to fill Kakariko Village. They all wore the same clothes Tommy wore. Some were older than me, others looked like they were less than 5 years old. They all conversed with each other, but I saw a different child standing at the top of a tall tree stump, overseeing the gathering. He wore red clothes, and looked a little older than I was—probably 13 or 14, from the looks of it. His red hair blended with his hat seamlessly, and I had to look hard in the light of a nearby bonfire to make out the bottom of the cap. Something told me that he was Jimmy. Tommy confirmed that.

"He's the oldest of the Bombers," the half-Moblin boy explained. "He founded the Bomber Society a few years back when Mayor Dotour refused to give financial aid to his parents, who were in the slums at the time. They're doing fine now, at least better than some of the other kids' parents, but he never forgave the mayor for his lack of selflessness. That's why our society was founded—to make up for the mayor's lack of neighborly kindness."

"Wow," I remarked. "That's pretty impressive!"

On seeing me, though, Jimmy let out a cry. "Deku!" he called, silencing the kids and pointing a thick finger right at my forehead. Everybody turned around to stare at me. I recalled non-Termanians had been exiled from the group after Skull Kid joined. "Tommy, why have you brought this wooden boy to our headquarters?" he demanded.

"Forgive me," Tommy squeaked, "but this guy is in need of help, and I think we should help him. He's looking for the traitor too!"

"Aha! Great work, Tommy. Most intellectual Moblin around, lads!"

"I'm not _that_ much of a pig..." Tommy grumbled too quietly for the cheering Bombers to hear.

"So, brave Deku Scrub," Jimmy continued, moving onto me. All eyes watched me, and I realized a circle had formed around me. I looked up at Jimmy as he stood proudly atop his tree stump, hands on his hips and chest puffed out. "I hear you are seeking help! How can the Bomber Society help you on this most moonlit of nights? Do you need bodyguards? A search squadron? Perhaps a secret passage into His Most Horrible Highness' château?"

I shook my head. "Nothing so grand, sir—"

"Call me Jimmy, my good sir."

"—Jimmy, I mean. I know where the Skull Kid is." There was a murmur of surprise and approval in the crowd. "I just need to know how to get there."

"And where is the traitor?"

"Out east. In an observatory, I think."

Jimmy cocked his head and folded his arms. "Well, that complicates things," he grumbled. I couldn't help but notice that in such a stance he looked like a more handsome version of Mido. Ah, Mido, how I hate you. Fortunately, Jimmy seemed to be a much better person. "The Bomber Society has a secret passage to the Astral Observatory. The only problem is, it is off-limits to somebody outside our association. Kind of borders the law, know what I mean?"

I nodded; I wouldn't, however, give up so easily. "I don't mean to disrespect the laws of the Bomber Society, Jimmy, but I need that passage," I asserted.

"Oh? And whatever for? Perhaps if your story is good enough, we could make an exception. But I'm warning you, I can tell when people are lying! A little something I inherited from my grandparents."

I nodded. It looked like once again, I'd have to come clean. Hopefully they wouldn't call the police on me like the doctor did. I told them my story, starting with my search in the Lost Woods, and ending with my escape from the asylum. There was a murmur amongst the crowd of confusion whenever I spoke of "Hylians" and "Kokiri," and that I wasn't a Deku at all, but there was nothing as far as an uproar. When I was done, Jimmy seemed pale in the face.

"Normally I'd have you beaten for such a tall tale," he stated, "but my eagle-eye vision tells me you aren't lying by a single word. That was certainly a fascinating story...but I must accept it as the truth!" The crowd seemed just as, if not more, confused than their leader, but they all agreed to Jimmy's verdict. "Lads," Jimmy addressed the Bombers, "it is our duty to help Link get back home. Link, I give you special permission to use our tunnel to the observatory. Tommy and I will show you the way. How's _that_?"

I bowed my head. "Thank you so much, Jimmy," I answered.

-

Once again, I found myself in the Federal District. The police were still patrolling the city for me, and I shuddered as I thought of what would happen if I was caught. We were hiding behind a pile of boxes to be out of the street light's rays. "Don't worry, Link," Tommy assured me. "Jimmy's an ace at dodging the police. He's wanted too, if you can believe it." It looked like the whole district was on high alert; they even had dogs searching for me. I hoped the Great Fairy had covered our tracks when we escaped.

"Don't worry, lads," Jimmy reported after peeking around a corner. "The observatory is just a few blocks away, as I see it. We've got an operative over on the far end of town guarding the tunnel. All we have to do is get you to it without being seen, Link." I groaned. I thought I was done with sneaking around after Ganondorf had been defeated. Looks like I was wrong. "The trick to it will be distractions." He addressed some of the other Bombers that joined us. He held up a bag full of wood chips. "Now, I want one group to start placing these chips in a trail leading south, towards the train station. Fortunately for us, Deku don't smell any different from wood; otherwise, dogs wouldn't want to mark their territory on them so bad!"

"_What_?" I moaned. "_That's_ why it wanted to kill me?"

Some of the Bombers laughed, though Jimmy hurriedly silenced them. "Sounds like you weren't the luckiest Deku on the block," Jimmy mused. "Anyway, though, we can't be having that again. So I'd like to stress the importance of getting the dogs out of the district," he told the group he had been speaking to before my little outburst. "We can't move any further until those dogs are gone." He handed out bags. "Make sure you don't get caught, and everything will be alright. Bombers forever, eh?" The group nodded, and left us in the darkness.

Now Jimmy addressed the rest of us. "All we need to do now is wait ten minutes to be sure the dogs are gone. Anybody got a watch?"

"I do!" a Bomber to my right answered.

"Good. Start timing them."

We waited a little longer than ten minutes. Jimmy explained that we did so just in case there were any hold-ups. "Alright," he whispered, "now for the next stage. We've gotten rid of the dogs, but the men from the asylum are still out there with their straight-jackets, just waiting to nab themselves a wooden boy. Group Two, do you have your disguises ready?" The remaining Bombers, sans Jimmy and Tommy, nodded and pulled out Deku Scrub costumes from a large sack. "Good. So here's the plan: we're all going to head out, you got me? But whenever we're spotted, we have to dive behind something, and one of you has to put on a costume and run as fast as you can in a different direction. They'll think Link has made a break for it, and because he's 'mentally ill' they'll ignore the rest of us. As soon as the men are gone, we have to get out of there. Our goal is to cut our group down to three or four by the time we reach Roger at the sewer gate—you hear me?" Everybody nodded. "So let's do this. Good luck, gentlemen!"

On Jimmy's cue, the first Bomber slid on his Deku costume and ran back in the direction we had gone. We could hear a man call out, and a symphony of boots pounding on asphalt as they gave chase. Jimmy didn't move, though, and merely rested his ear on the side of a box. "Wait for it... Wait for it..." he ordered. The footsteps began to fade. "Alright, let's go!" We all dashed out of our cover and hurried for a cluster of garbage cans on the next block. Sure enough, another man saw us.

As soon as we were behind the garbage cans, Jimmy whispered sharply, "Go, Albert! And don't let them catch you!" A Bomber (assumably Albert) nodded and hurried into his costume. Without another word, he hurried down the street, and the man followed him.

We crossed the district in that fashion until at last we reached a dark alleyway that Jimmy said was "home-free." Another Bomber was waiting for us there, in a yellow outfit. He looked strikingly similar to one of the Kokiri who always slaved away outside Mido's house. "Glad to see you, Roger," Jimmy greeted as he ushered us all into the blackness.

"Evening, Jimmy," Roger replied casually. "On the run from the police again?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Not quite. I've got a Deku who needs to get to the observatory, pronto. He had a little misunderstanding at the asylum, so he needs cover, you know what I mean?"

Roger nodded. "Follow me, then." He gestured for me to follow him towards a rusty, old door at the end of the alley. "Be happy your sense of smell isn't the best, Deku Scrub," he warned. "The sewer isn't the best-smelling method of escape, but it should serve you well." Without another word, he pulled open the door, and I was at once greeted with a putrid smell no better than the vats of trash I had encountered before. Based on what Roger said, it was only worse for the rest of the Bombers.

"Alright, in you go," Jimmy ordered, pushing me into the dark chamber beyond the door. It was pitch-black, but my eyes lit it up enough for me to see a small hole in its center, with a ladder allowing for descent. Without question I scrambled down it, hearing the door slam above me.

-

At least it was better than the Kakariko Well. We were in a strange sort of metal labyrinth, lit by oil lamps, that seemed to extend for miles in every direction. A wretched smell wafted up from the murky water lining the brick walkways. "Where _are_ we?" I groaned, wishing I could seal my nozzle.

Jimmy handed clothes-pins out to Tommy and the other Bomber joining us. All three of them subsequently sealed their noses. "Horrible, isn't it? This is Clock Town's sewer system, or the Clockwork as I like to call it. I guess Deku never really have need for them—you don't have any by-product when you turn your food into energy, eh? If you're wondering what's making such a bad smell, then let me advise you not to go in that water. When Termanians need to use get rid of digestive waste, we use devices called 'toilets,' which suck all that waste down here via water. So the water next to us is full of every dinner in the city right now."

"Disgusting!" I choked. Though, I had to admit, it was better than what we had in Hyrule.

"Come on," Jimmy motioned, pulling a folded up map in his pocket. "The observatory should be right about...that way." He pointed down one of the tunnels. Holding his map to the light, he began plotting a path. "They have security guards down here, looking for escaped convicts, but this map shows where their posts are," he explained. "A bit redundant, because they haven't caught anybody down here because of it. Sakon's still on the loose, I hear."

"Which isn't all that good for us," Tommy added with a shiver, "because his hideout is near the observatory. You don't think we'll bump into him, do you?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Nah. He's probably stealing from old ladies right now. I don't think he prowls around the sewers late at night."

It wasn't a straight path at all; the Bombers led me down the tunnel at first, but soon took a right, and then a left, crossing over bridges and catwalks and leaving me quite confused. In the end, though, we stumbled upon a door on the side of the steel wall. "Here we go," Jimmy grinned. "This is the door our friend at the Observatory uses to dump his garbage. Pretty convenient, eh?" I nodded. He opened the door, but all I saw was a long, dark hallway inside. "Well, come on! I'm getting sick of this place." Jimmy pushed us inside, and shut the door. I led the way down the hallway, though, because the Bombers had fallen back and had begun to discuss how we were going to leave.

There was a loud noise somewhere ahead of us. "Wow, I wonder what's going on at the Observatory?" Tommy remarked. "Hope our friend's alright."

We kept walking, but we didn't seem to get any closer to our destination. Then, suddenly, the whole corridor seemed to shake, and with an explosive crash the ceiling collapsed behind me. "Jimmy!? Tommy!?" I cried, searching the fallen debris for any weak spot that I could dig through.

"We're alright!" I faintly heard Jimmy's voice reply from the other side of the debris. "Looks like we're gonna have to separate now. You're just a few steps from the observatory, though; the Astronomer's a good guy, you're in good hands. We'll probably head back to Clock Town now. Looks like we won't be able to use this shortcut for a while, though..."

"Alright," I sighed. "Thanks for all the help!"

"No problem!" Tommy answered. "It was fun! Good luck finding that traitor!"

With a deep breath, I turned around. A dark tunnel stretched out in front of me. I couldn't help but be reminded of the countless dark halls I had encountered in the Kingdom of the Gerudo; would this one be a trap too? With no other choice, I began to walk down it.

-

Somewhere in the darkness I bumped into something. I felt it, and discovered a doorknob just above me. I jumped, and opened it.

Revealed to me was a surprising sight. It was like I had stepped into a room built for a child—a demented child, anyway. Four children, roughly my age, were demolishing the place. One hung from a large bar in the ceiling; another was slingshoting a poor cuckoo; the third was lighting a scarecrow on fire; and the fourth was smashing paintings. The room itself, with the exception of the dark brown wooden floor, was painted in a rainbow of colors that dazzled my eyes and almost made me feel mischievous too. There was excitement everywhere, both good and bad, and I was a bit disturbed to be stuck in the middle of it. What snapped me out of my shock, though, was when I heard an old man's shouting from above, ordering somebody to let go of something. I left the children and hurried up a spiral staircase running against the wall, up to what I assumed was the ground floor.

To my shock and surprise, the Skull Kid stood right in front of me, tussling with an old man over what appeared to be a large key. "No, I beg of you, do not take this key!" the bearded man pleaded, holding on to the key with pale, bony hands.

"Shut up, old coot," Skull Kid snapped. "Give it to me, before I set your entire house on fire!" He let out a wicked, maniacal laugh, and with a free finger pointed at a wooden statue of a woman. The statue burst into flames, and with a scream the man dropped the key and ran to get water from a nearby sink. Skull Kid turned to look at me. "So, we meet again, Pinocchio," he chuckled. "Surprised?"

The purple fairy above Skull Kid's head perked up when he saw me. "Hey! Do you have Tatl with you?"

I shook my head. "No," I growled, "she's doing her own thing. Skull Kid! What in the world are you doing!?"

Skull Kid laughed, and I cringed when I saw new blood drying on his mask. "Can't you tell? I'm playing a pyromaniac in my latest performance! I think I'm a good actor, don't you?"

"You're destroying this man's whole observatory!" I scolded. "You think this is an _act_?"

"Naturally," the Skull Kid nodded. "Whether or not you're amused, I'm putting on a show. It's a shame, though, because this play has just ended! Come, my minions!" he called downstairs. "It is high time we set our eyes on the Clock Tower!" The four children down below scrambled upstairs. They were all dressed like hospital patients, covered only in white gowns, but like Skull Kid they each wore a mask. "Do you like them?" my nemesis beamed. "I stole them from Clock Town's insane asylum. I felt a cast of psychotic characters was exactly what my game needed. If you haven't been there already, you should check it out—I'm sure they'd _love_ to hear your story, ha!"

"Skull Kid, I warn you..." Before I had the chance to strike him, though, he snapped his fingers. He vanished into thin air with his demented servants, leaving the man and I alone.

Now that I could get a good look at him, I was surprised to see an image identical to the professor of Vraiology in Hyrule, Professor Shikashi. Shikashi in Hyrule had been a laughing-stock of his colleagues, and when he wasn't studying or teaching his students about the Sheikah, he was hounding down people on the streets to impose his knowledge onto them. Just like Shikashi, he was dressed in a blue smoking-robe, green slippers, and a small green cap. I hoped this wasn't the same man. He had just doused the statue, and seemed very flustered.

"Um... Excuse me?" I coughed.

The man turned his head away from a portrait he was straightening to look at me. "Yes?" he huffed. "Are you another blasted demon, here to ruin my life?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. I was actually hoping to put a stop to that Skull Kid. I had come here to ask where he was. Guess I was too late..."

"Well, if you need him, he's probably in Ikana now," the man growled. "That's what he was here for—the Key to the Stone Tower. I shudder to even consider what his reasons to do so are. All I can say is that I fear for my colleague's life, now; he holds the last piece to the puzzle. I swear, if that cretin gets into Igos' bastion..."

I looked at the man with confusion. "E-Excuse me?"

The man straightened himself. "Well, that's nothing for you to worry yourself with. You already have enough to be afraid of—we all do." He stepped towards me and awkwardly offered a hand. The old man smiled, and when I looked into his wrinkled face I saw many tear stains. He seemed to be a very sad fellow, quite different from the Shikashi I knew in Hyrule. His words, however, were just as dignified. "My name's Doctor Fredrick Shikashi, leading authority on Astronomy in the Termanian region. How do you do?" Well, he had the same name, but he was a very different person indeed. I shook his hand slowly. He had to bend down a little for me to be able to reach it, and even then I had to stand on tip-toe.

"My name is Link. The Bombers told me I'd get some information on the Skull Kid here..."

Dr. Shikashi's smile frowned with anger. "That wretched child! Is _that_ what he's called?" I nodded. "Little Deku Scrub, if I were you I'd stop trying to _learn_ about him and start trying to get as far _away_ from him as you can, before it's too late!"

"And why is that?" I asked warily.

"He's no 'kid,' as you call him. He's the most powerful demon I've ever seen and nothing less—a demon, bent on our destruction!"

"Well," I scoffed, "I wouldn't say destruction. I know these Skull Kids, and they aren't the type to do such a thing—"

"—then explain the moon!" Dr. Shikashi snapped, his retaliation as loud as thunder.

I felt the water draining from my phloem. "The... The _moon_?"

"You're so smart! Haven't you noticed?" The astronomer seized my shoulders tightly and dropped me in front of the viewing hole of a giant telescope. He pushed my head forcefully towards it. "Can't you see it!?" he demanded, his voice quivering. "Can't you see the blasted thing!?"

"Hey, let go of me," I snapped. "Yes, I can see it. What's the problem?"

"You aren't from around here, are you? That moon... It is _ten times_ the size it was but a single night ago!"

"_What_!?" I gasped. Indeed, through Saria's telescope in Hyrule I could only see an enlarged image of the moon, but through Dr. Shikashi's I could see every little detail of its surface, as if I were looking through binoculars.

"That Skull Kid is intent only on our very destruction! I am telling you, he is causing the moon to _fall_!"

I pushed myself away from the telescope and stared into Dr. Shikashi's defeated eyes. I shook my head incredulously. "But... That's impossible! Even for a Skull Kid! You can't... You can't just make the moon _fall_!"

"Oh, but you can," the astronomer nodded his head darkly. "You can." He collapsed into a cushioned armchair. The segment of the wall surrounding it caught my eye. Strange chalk drawings covered it—I couldn't understand most of the figures, but I could make out a moon, the shape of a heart, and a strange thing that looked like a one-eyed Octorok. Dr. Shikashi coughed loudly, snapping my attention back to his face. He stared into my eyes very sternly, and when he spoke there was a hint of terror in his voice. "Young boy, I don't know why you devote yourself to the death of this Skull Kid, but you are making a grave mistake." The old armchair creaked as he leaned forward. "This imp has dark powers beyond the farthest reaches of scientific comprehension, and he misuses those powers in a twisted game of evil. I implore you, if you wish to continue this charade of hope, this false belief that he can be stopped, then heed my warning: by sunrise on November 4th, a terrible thing shall happen to this country, something that will destroy us all. Not just an apocalypse; I speak of the end of life as we know it, throughout the universe! I don't even know if we are mortally capable of escaping such horror, but I beg of you to flee as far away from this doomed country as you can. I, myself, will leave here by tomorrow morning." He shifted his weight and pulled a loose sleeve up to his wrist. I caught a quick glimpse of what looked like blood. "I cannot stay here any longer," he whispered, oblivious to my discovery.

I backed away in disbelief—possibly even horror. Did I really have only two more nights not just to get my body back—only two more nights to _live_, unless I could somehow find a way to stop the _moon_? Impossible; I couldn't believe it. I _couldn't_. The astronomer may know a lot, I told myself, but he must have been misinterpreting the facts. I knew about Skull Kids; I knew that they worshiped the God of the Moon from their purported "Earth Temple;" I knew that they had one or two magic powers. Maybe this Skull Kid had more magic than most, but moving the heavens? Downright impossible.

My feet stumbled on something. When I looked down to see what it was, I saw a mask. It was a bizarre mask, of something I couldn't quite understand, but when my shadow escaped it and the light bore down upon it, my eyes widened. It was the Mask of Truth. I looked back up at the astronomer warily. "She is coming," he whispered in a low tone, every wrinkle on his frightened face defined by lamplight. "And _nothing_ can stop her." There was a loud crackling, and I jumped back as the Mask of Truth lit itself on fire and slowly turned into white ashes.

-

Dr. Shikashi took me back to Clock Town, wished me the best of luck, and grimly returned to his observatory in the east. He felt bad that I had come all the way to his observatory for nothing, and was happy that I was able to get Skull Kid out of his home, so he left me with a glittering blue stone, which he called a "Moon's Tear," for the trouble. I thanked him for his kindness, but honestly could have cared less. I felt utterly defeated. I didn't even know where I was in the gigantic city; all I could do was collapse to the side of the grey street and stare into a puddle, wishing I had never left the safety of the Kokiri Forest. At some point during that time, Tatl returned. I was too depressed to notice, though. She had managed to get herself some ice cream, and happily licked it despite my condition. I knew deep down that the astronomer might have been right; but it was only a possibility, one that I had to ignore if I was to accomplish anything! I only had two more days to get my body back; and this world wasn't even supposed to exist, right? All the same, if the astronomer was correct... Then my friends were condemned to die, and it was all my fault! Saria, Tuto, Epona... I began to cry, not just for me, but for they and everybody else who was stuck in this wretched country.

"Is everything alright?" I looked up and saw a large, corpulent Deku Scrub towering above me. He was devoid of any leafy covering, with the prime exception of a thin, leafy mustache on either side of his nozzle. He wore a sort of party hat over the top of his head, but there seemed to be tips of leaves poking out from underneath. Like my own, his eerie red eyes glowed in the night.

"Why do _you_ want to know?" I demanded imprudently.

He waved his wooden hands disarmingly. "Now, now, calm down! I only want to help! We Dekus have to look out for each other, you know what I mean?"

I dropped my gaze back to the puddle on the tar road. "Yeah," I replied gloomily. "I guess..."

He sat himself down next to me. "Now, then, what's the matter? Why, on such a beautiful night as this, should a young sprout such as yourself have a case of the sad?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes, though they were quickly replaced. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Oh sure I would. My entire business relies on trust, you know." Great, a Business Scrub. In Hyrule, they were sniveling weasels who sided with whoever had the most money, but sold their wares to the opposing factions willingly. Kokiri were taught never to trust them. The ones in Termina couldn't be much different, right?

"I'm lost," I said, finding that to be a suitable answer to avoid questions.

"Ah, I see... Where is it you need to go?"

"Far from here. I want to go home. I want to go home!" I lost it then and there, and the rate of tears doubled, _tripled_ when I heard how pathetic my sobs were coming from a Deku's snout. By now I had figured out that the body I now possessed was certainly younger than my Hylian body, but this was the first time my mind behaved younger too. I was almost having a tantrum.

The Business Scrub patted my back. "There there, now, just tell me where your home is. I can take you there."

"But it's..." I sniffled. "...you'd never believe me..."

The Business Scrub looked at me with deep concern. His eyes shrunk into a squint, and he observed me with great scrutiny. "I don't think I've ever seen a Deku like you before... Are you from the South, perhaps?"

"I'm..." Oh come off it, Link, I had to trust _somebody_! "I'm from a different world." The Business Scrub blinked in surprise. "There, see, I knew you wouldn't believe me!" I cried even more. "Nobody else does! They all think I'm crazy—you probably do too!"

"I don't." I stopped. The Business Scrub looked at me with great seriousness, as if I had just struck a sensitive note. "I believe every word of what you say."

I sniffed. "Really?"

Tatl gawked. "_Really!?_" I heard her drop her ice cream. She deserved it.

He nodded. "When I was young I used to travel the country with my parents. One time though, in this very city, I got separated. I wandered the streets, searching for my family, when before I knew it I had wandered into a part of the city that looked like it dated back centuries, back to when there were castles and knights, kings and queens!" Tatl and I were even more shocked. "I hadn't the slightest clue where I was—Labrinium or something like that. That's when I felt truly lost. But somehow, I found my way back. This tree—I forget her name, the Moki Tree or something? She told me I was in a different world, and she told me how to get home. After my parents didn't believe me, I never told my story to anybody. I even began thinking it was really my imagination. But you've proved my story right!" I smiled the biggest smile I had ever smiled, though how I did it with a Deku nozzle I'll never figure out. Suddenly, I had hope—hope, at least, of returning to Hyrule.

"I see you have a Moon's Tear?" he remarked, noticing the glowing stone on my right. He rubbed his wooden palms together. "How about we make a deal? My wife and I's anniversary is coming up. If you let me have that Moon's Tear to use as a gift, I'll help you out."

"Sure," I sniffed, wiping away my tears. This time, they didn't come back. "It's your's!"

His help, as it turned out, was less of assistance in leaving Termina and more of _coping_ with Termina. He taught me loads. I had never thought very hard about the many contraptions I'd seen on the streets and in the skies of Clock Town, but as it turned out they were all very intricate machines that were hundreds of years ahead of my time. The machines everybody rode on the black streets, for example, where vehicles known as "cars," built so that the Termanians could get around places quickly without needing to care for horses all the time. If cars weren't enough, they could use "airplanes" to travel the sky at lightning-fast speeds. Apparently, the technology I described to him in Hyrule was what Termina had used long ago; perhaps, the Business Scrub suggested, Hyrule Castle Town would one day look like Clock Town. I shuddered at the thought; I preferred the simplicity of Hyrule over the confusing technology of Termina. He even suggested that monarchy was old-fashioned—if I had a jaw, it would have dropped when I heard that. He said that the people of Termina had gotten tired of kings and queens, and sought a more-flexible style of government called a "confederation." The city-states of Termina all signed a charter two centuries ago, agreeing to abandon their individual nations in favor of a "Confederation of Termina," which was headed by three different rulers all at once—a Termanian Mayor, a Zoran Minister, and a Goron Elder. The only nation to have dropped out of the agreement was the Deku Kingdom in the South.

All in all, those days were hardly productive in terms of escaping Termina. But I did learn how to cope in my Deku body, such as what foods I could eat and how I could fly using Deku Flowers. The Business Scrub and his wife were very accommodating, and gave me a flower to sleep in. Tatl, who I gave a great scolding to as soon as I realized she had returned, was flabbergasted by Skull Kid's alleged doomsday business, and made sure the Business Scrubs also taught me how to fight. As getting me back to my correct body and stopping the Skull Kid both seemed to have the same solution, we were finally able to formulate a plan. If the Skull Kid truly was at the Clock Tower, I'd have to ascend to its top to confront him. The only way that could happen would be on the night of November 3rd, the night of the Festival of Time. The Clock Tower's roof, apparently, was only available for public access during the festival, which was a celebration of the guardian deities of Termina set three nights after Halloween. Then, and only then, was the elevator to the top opened.

-

Fireworks signaled the beginning of the festival. It was spooky, how much of a ghost town Clock Town had become. The streets were empty, and there were no airplanes flying overhead; for once, the whole city had become quiet. Perhaps, I worried, Dr. Shikashi was right, and most people had left Clock Town altogether. Why else would the festival be so deserted?

The elevator, as predicted, had been unlocked—probably for people to view the fireworks from high up. I still wasn't exactly sure what an elevator was, but the Business Scrub wasted little time in pushing Tatl and I into it. I bid them farewell and good luck, and the doors of the elevator slammed shut.

I don't know how it happened, but stepping through the veil of darkness and into the elevator, I found myself amidst the heavens. Peeking down, a city of lights extended for what looked like forever around me. I was higher than any other building in Clock Town, higher perhaps than any airplane could fly. But another surprise was that I stood on a fifth clock face, which comprised of the entire roof of the building. It almost appeared to be made of stained glass, and light poured from it in millions of different colors, all across the rainbow. It gave me and everything around me an eerie, surreal glow, casting shadows into the sky...if the sky were there. As a bell tolled inside the tower, low and ominous, I peered up and saw a moon more massive than I had ever dreamed of before. The dark spots on it looked more like twisted mountains and crooked valleys now, all sculpted into a face so fierce it could have scared off a ReDead. The celestial body, too, was lit up by the great clock, but all colors seemed to be washed away from it save a blood-colored red. How close _was_ it?

"...so, you came," remarked an emotion-less voice behind me. Between the clock and the moon floated a small imp, hovering with his legs crossed and staring at me through his demonic mask. The blood on it was dry now. "What can I do for you, _Pinocchio_?"

"Skull Kid," I squeaked, "I've come to take back what you've stolen!"

Right there, in the Skull Kid's hand, sat Saria's ocarina. He tossed it up and down threateningly. "I suppose it's only natural you'd want it back," he sighed. "You can have it."

That took me by surprise—it was easier than I thought. "Th-Thank you!" I stammered.

"Not so fast." The Skull Kid unwound and "stood," hanging almost like a puppet from strings in the air, arms outstretched like a phantom flying through the sky. "What shall you give me in return?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"I never give things for free... You should know that by now...Link."

"How do you know my name!?" I gasped.

"What did I tell you before?" Skull Kid sighed with a growl. "_Don't_ ask questions. Your little goddess isn't here to save you this time, fool."

"W-Well... What do you want?"

Skull Kid's mask's eyes glimmered in the light of the clock. It was almost as if they themselves glowed. "_Your soul_," he answered darkly. I blinked. "_Sell your soul to me, and you can have your ocarina back._"

"Sk-Skull Kid, are you feeling alright?" I demanded. Not even a Skull Kid made such horrible remarks. Only the Twili did, and that was how they became extinct.

A massive minute hand swept across the face and arrived at 12—midnight. The clock chimed loudly, more foreboding than the bell I had heard previously. "There _is_ no Skull Kid anymore," he answered in a deep, almost ghostly voice, "and your time is up."

"What!?" Tatl burst incredulously. "What crack are you _on_!?" Her purple brother fluttered out from underneath Skull Kid's hat. "Tael!" she gasped. "What's going on with Skull Kid!?"

"There isn't time!" Tael hastily asserted. "Just... Just listen! The four guardians of Termina... Get them! Get them now, before it's too late!"

"What are you talking about!?" Tatl and I nervously demanded in unison. Something was wrong—_very_ wrong. I prayed it wasn't what I thought it was.

"Swamp... Mountain... Ocean... Canyon... The hatred of others, the forsaking of love, the greediness of the affluent, and the lust for power... You must save them, before—"

Before Tael could finish, he was swatted on the back of his head by the Skull Kid. The fairy hit the clock, and fell silent. "TAEL!" Tatl cried. "Skull Kid, why the heck did you _DO_ that!? What's happened to you!?"

The Skull Kid was silent for a moment. At last, he rumbled, "...there is no more Skull Kid."

"What was he talking about?" I demanded. "Why did you silence him!?"

"...well, whatever. It can't be stopped. I might as well tell you mortals how you shall die; or didn't old man Shikashi inform you already?"

"What!? _Please_ tell me you don't mean what I think you do. You aren't serious, are you, Skull Kid!?"

He didn't answer. "Look above you," he commanded. As the clock finished tolling the hour, Tatl and I rose our heads towards the moon. "Have you noticed anything peculiar about the moon, Hero of Time?"

I nodded nervously. "It's bigger than I'm used to seeing it."

"And will continue to be so. The moon is falling, and shall crash into Termina by sunrise." The Skull Kid laughed. It was a wicked, horrible laugh. "Satisfied? Or would you like a more detailed, _dramatic_ answer?"

"You... You're _mad_!" I screamed.

"What have you done to Skull Kid!?" Tatl roared, taking me by surprise. "Who _are_ you!?"

"...if it's something that can be stopped, then stop it," the Skull Kid taunted darkly. He snapped a finger. "But you're running out of time." To our terror, the moon lurched forward and began falling visibly at a rapid pace. "You have ten minutes to live," he finished.

All around us, screams and cries echoed up from the city below. The remaining townsfolk began to panic, and the screams were almost immediately followed by the chaotic sounds of carts toppling over, vehicles zooming, and windows shattering as people jumped out of them. The Skull Kid's last words, it seemed, had emitted across the entire city, possibly even farther. What _was_ he?

"Link, you have to _do_ something!" Tatl screamed. "Look how fast it's moving!"

I thought frantically for some miracle idea, some impossible way to stop the _moon_. Not even the Master Sword could manage something like this, and it was supposed to be the most powerful weapon in existence! Could I use magic? There wasn't any magic that could do the impossible! It would take something as powerful as the _gods_ to stop it!

"Skull Kid," I pleaded, "I don't know why you're doing this, but you have to stop! _Please_ stop!"

"Eight more minutes, Fairy Boy," Skull Kid chuckled, indifferent to my pleas. His chuckle turned into a laugh so maniacal it seemed even Morpha was trumped in the insane department. His laugh shook the entire tower, and the glass underneath me showed signs of cracking.

"_Skull Kid_—"

"—seven minutes." That only made him laugh harder.

"Link," Tatl snapped at me, "he's not going to help! We need a miracle! It... It can't be stopped!" She began to panic. "Goddess of Time," she screamed, "somebody, anybody, we need more time!"

I looked desperately for something that could be of use. One or two large green jars sat at the other end of the clock. I made a mad dash for them; perhaps if I could throw one and knock Skull Kid out with it... With all my might I lifted one of the jars (which proved to actually be large vases) and hurled it at the Skull Kid. It didn't come anywhere close to the imp, who was simply too high for me to hit with my weak Deku muscles.

"Do you wish to bring me harm? You'd better hurry up. You have only four more minutes to live," Skull Kid warned with mirth. I stared hopelessly up at the moon, which was now so close that I could make out large rocks on the tops of its tallest mountains. The sky was now non-existent. "You wish to know who I am?" the imp thundered menacingly, once again so that everybody in Clock Town—possibly all of Termina—could hear. This time, his words weren't in glee—there was a dark, horrible seriousness to his tone of voice, as if it were a death omen. "For thousands of years I've been imprisoned in the fieriest, most wretched prison in all of existence, forced to suffer under the whips of the hags you call goddesses! For ages I've been pondering how best to exact my revenge upon escape, and now, on the eve of the festival celebrating my greatest of enemies, I, Majora, shall devour Termina and finally break free from my imprisonment! The universe shall be mine again!"

Chaos down below seemed to double, and I heard an enormous boom somewhere from the east. Tatl was babbling nonsense now, incapable of controlling herself any longer. And in that madness, I saw it: a Deku Nut, lying underneath where the vase had been. I looked down at my hands.

"Two minutes," Skull Kid—no, Majora—cackled.

My hands... Wooden, hard, cold... No matter what I kept telling myself, I was a Deku Scrub. I was panicking about my body while millions in Termina had only two minutes left to survive before the moon swallowed everything in a catastrophic inferno. I was the Hero of Time, and whether I liked it or not I was a Deku Scrub. Perhaps it was time to start acting like one.

I dove for the Deku Nut as fast as I could and, almost like instinct, sucked it into my mouth like a vacuum. My eyes almost seemed to zoom in on everything around me, as if to help me ensure my aim be spot-on. I turned my head towards the Skull Kid, planted my feet on the ground, and blew. My head was kicked back as the nut fired from my mouth and made a direct hit on the Skull Kid.

The Skull Kid was taken by such surprise that it dropped Saria's ocarina. "Resistance is futile, Hero of Time," Majora laughed through the Skull Kid. "I am unharmed." I didn't care what he (she?) had to say. I charged forward, dove, and slid across the clock face, seizing the ocarina as I passed underneath the imp. I had no definitive way to handle the Skull Kid; my only hope now was that I could cause a miracle. The Great Fairy's final words echoing in my brain, I madly fingered the notes for Hyrule's anthem as I blew awkwardly into the ocarina's mouthpiece.

-

I awoke in an endless field of quivering grass. Rain poured from black sky, though there were no clouds. Everything seemed a bit blurred, even more-so than Termina did at times, and I was almost certain I was dreaming. However, I was completely conscious. Perhaps it was a lucid dream?

There was a sudden burst of light, and a fair maiden appeared in front of me. She was far older than I—around her late 20's or early 30's—but she had the air of someone so much younger. Dressed only in a sleeveless, shimmering blue dress and a pair of aquamarine sandals, her flowing blue hair, so long it reached her waist, gave her identity away. It was somebody who I had met twice before: Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom and Time.

"We meet again, my dear hero," the goddess greeted, her voice so melodious that it was inseparable from song. There was a flow to every word like a note on a staff. "Though when I last saw you you were quite a bit taller. Ironic, isn't it, that Farore should be your patron, and yet your title bears my domain?" She made a smile. It was a queer sort of smile that looked both devious and caring, and she laced her fingers in front of it like a lawyer about to address a potential client, who had no choice but to comply. "I've been enjoying my ocarina, by the way. I hope you've been enjoying my end of the bargain?"

I nodded, though only with a half-honest smile. "I guess so. Except, it just isn't the same without..."

"I understand. But it seems you and I have a common problem now, doesn't it? And I don't mean your mismatched body." A stump poofed into existence behind her, and she sat herself gracefully. "You needn't worry; all time is at a stand-still now. We can talk peacefully, without rush."

I sighed with great relief and rose a hand to wipe off the sweat on my forehead. To my surprise, there was none there. Deku didn't sweat, I guess. At least there was one Hylian instinct intact, anyway. "So you know?"

"All of us know; Majora made sure of that," she spat with agitation. "We did not suspect the mask she was locked in would be found; it is our own fault that its re-entry into the world of people was missed. And now, in just one minute, Majora shall have all the power she needs to slaughter us all. We destroyed Termina to keep it from her; we did not expect that she'd revive it behind our backs. So I must apologize, brave swordsman—it is our fault that this has all happened as it has."

"But is there anything we can do?" I demanded. "We can't just give up!"

Nayru folded her arms in silent thought. "There is one thing. We goddesses are very limited in how we can handle Termina—it is, after all, Majora's home world. There is only one thing I can do, and you can thank the festival in my honor for that."

"What is it? Anything, Goddess of Time!"

"I can send you back to the moment you arrived in Termina. From there, I can do no more."

"Hmm," I considered. "I don't see how that's much help..."

"If you can believe it, Majora's power over the moon hails from her imprisonment of the four Gods of the Moon, the Giants. In every compass direction of Termina lies a kingdom corrupted by the Goddess of Evil. A Giant lies suppressed by her dark tentacles in each. To stop the moon, you must raise them from their ashes. It is a task that you, not I, can do."

I shuffled uncomfortably. It was a lot to swallow. "...explain it to me again."

"I shall send you back to the time you first stepped outside the Clock Tower and into Termina. From there, you must seek out the Giants in each of the compass directions."

"That still doesn't give me much time," I grumbled. "Only...three days."

"On request, I can send you back an infinite amount of times. Just play the Song of Time, and I shall heed to your command."

I nodded. "But that would reverse all that I'd done, wouldn't it?"

Nayru chuckled. "You never know. Time is a fickle fellow, rewriting pages of its own book if it wishes to revise them. Did I not tell you so before?"

I nodded. "I think I remember that..."

"I sent you back in time after Ganondorf was destroyed, did I not? And he is no longer a problem in Hyrule. I think the same can be said for certain other achievements, if you ask the clock correctly." Nayru stood up and hung her hand over my head. "There shall be a bastion inside the Clock Tower, should you need time to recollect your thoughts. All of time shall stand still outside the tower as long as you are inside it." Balls of blue light fell down upon me. "Now, Hero of Time, Child of Farore, return to the forsaken world and stop Majora before she destroys all of existence!"

"Thank you Nayru," I smiled.

"Thank Farore, my child. She will always be watching over you."

-

"So... I suppose you'd like your body back," the Happy Mask Salesman chuckled. His pale face seemed to glow in the darkness, just as it had the last time we had met. He looked like a demon, staring at me with his squinted eyes in the stuffy dark, with that ersatz grin plastered across his bony face. "Did you...get your instrument back?" I nodded silently. I was still shaken from the near-death we had atop the Clock Tower. Tatl once again hid underneath my hat. We had been overjoyed from discovering Clock Town to be as it once was, but she was horrified to discover the Happy Mask Salesman escaped the reversal of time. "_Good_..."

He laughed his manic laugh once again. His head seemed to lurch forward, almost pouncing out of the darkness, as with slow, lumbering steps he approached. I saw a giant backpack strapped to his shoulders, causing the otherwise-plank-like man to be bent over like a hunchback. Even through his squinted eyes I could see him eying me disturbingly, as if some unknown idea was churning in his mind. "In that case," he smiled, stopping no more than a foot away from my snout, "let me introduce you to the secret of the Clock Tower..."

I blinked, and suddenly the Happy Mask Salesman was gone. "Wait, where'd you go?" I demanded in shock.

"Why... Over here! Look here, good sir, and witness the Clock Tower's hidden treasure!"

I turned my head to my right and saw the man sitting on a bench before a giant pipe organ. "That...wasn't there before..." I stammered.

His pearly-white teeth glimmered in the shadows. "Of _course_ it wasn't, Link..." He peered up at the top of the organ's pipes. "This is the Chronos Organ... A device crafted by the gods that was hidden with Termina in its destruction. Something even Ganondorf failed to possess, though he tried so hard. It reeks of dark energy; even more so than that austere man they call a 'mayor' in Clock Town."

I eyed the organ cautiously. It had eyes just like the mask Skull Kid wore, staring at me ominously in the foreboding glow of the waterworks. "What does it do?" I trembled.

"Why...it plays music, of course. Or have you never seen an organ before?" I remembered with a shiver the organ Ganondorf had in his castle six years in the future. It actually looked very similar to this one—perhaps, in that amount of time, the King of Thieves had managed to get his hands on it? Or maybe Twinrova had. "This organ," the Happy Mask Salesman explained, "has the ability to change people."

"To change people..." I repeated.

"Only to be used in emergencies," the Happy Mask Salesman added. "Its power can be so destructive that the goddesses banished it with Termina. Hylians can be turned into little fragments of coal in an instant, by the very note of this organ, and cockroaches into doves. One could even use it to turn themselves into a beast so powerful, only the gods could destroy it." He turned to look at me. "So what shall it be? Would you like to be a Hylian once more?"

My answer wasn't immediate. His question hung on my very soul. A thought had passed my mind, and I suddenly felt like I wasn't so sure I wanted to be changed back. All my life, I had thought myself to be a Kokiri, and it was disgust—not joy—that I had felt when finally I came to learn what I really was. To this day, I hated that I was a Hylian. A temptation grew in my mind. This was my chance, at last my chance, to rid myself of being a Hylian once and for all. I could be whatever I wanted to be—even, if I chose, to be what all my life I had longed to be: a real Kokiri.

"Come on, Link, what's the hold up?" Tatl hurried.

"Just give me a moment... I..."

"Link..." the Happy Mask Salesman warned. "This instrument was created to fix, not change."

I looked at my reflection in a puddle. Even through the Deku guise, I could still see my hideous Hylian self. The laughing stock of Mido's gang. The boy who could love Saria, but could never truly be her husband. The monster that I had been taught was untrustworthy, an enemy of the forest. With just a few words, all that could go away, and I'd be exactly what I was made to be. "I... I..." I began to sweat. "I..."

"Just say it already!" Tatl cried. "What's the matter?"

"I... I..." I gulped. "I..." I sank to the floor. "I..."

"Cat got your tongue!? Let's hear it already!"

A voice whispered in my ear. I nearly jumped: it was Navi's. "Link... You cannot change who you are. The Goddesses made a choice when they decided what you would be. The Hylians may be traitors to the Lost Woods... But it is the job of Hylians like you to change that! Saria doesn't care that you aren't a Kokiri; you shouldn't either! The organ isn't a tool, remember that!" I looked around. My beloved fairy wasn't there.

"I..." I nearly cried in defeat. "Change me back. Just... Just do it."

"The pleasure is mine," the Happy Mask Salesman chuckled. He began playing a melody on the organ, and I felt my whole body quiver. I felt as if my soul had been ripped out of my body, and in its absence a sculptor decided to change it however he saw fit. The notes of the organ echoed in my mind as if they were the only true reality, and before me the world seemed to twist and distort itself until it, not I, was out of balance. Throughout the bizarre contortion, only one thing seemed to remain true: the song, if I was not mistaken, was my beloved Saria's own melody in reverse. But if I _wasn't_ mistaken, then...why?

There was a loud clap of thunder, and suddenly I was at my proper height. I didn't move at all; I just stood in disbelief, staring at the wall in front of me and pondering how the song could be so similar to Saria's song. "Well?" the Happy Mask Salesman interrupted. "Satisfied?"

Disenchanted from my thoughts, I hurriedly felt myself over. Everything was as it should have been—my soft skin on my arms, my green tunic covering my chest, my hair follicles, my face, my ears, everything. "I'm... I'm _me_ again!" I exclaimed in delight. Perhaps I wasn't a Kokiri, but... At least I was back to normal! I jumped up and down in joy; it really was a happy moment.

"Look down," the Happy Mask Salesman instructed, suddenly in front of me once again. I did as I was told, and discovered a wooden mask lying on the floor. It was identical to how my face had just previously appeared. "The Song of Healing sucks all your troubles out of your body and places them in the form of a mask. Should you wish to don the form you once possessed, I urge you to give the 'Deku Mask' a try."

I shook my head, though I still took the mask to be polite. "No thanks! I'd rather be me any day!"

The grin on the mask salesman's façade widened. "And now, young swordsman, it is time for your end of the bargain," he stated as he held a hand out to me expectantly. I froze. In all that time, I had forgotten—I wasn't being cured for free. There were two things I was supposed to get atop the tower: Saria's ocarina, but also the mask the Skull Kid was wearing. I gulped. "Well?" the man asserted. "Let's have it, then." I gulped and stared at his hand, desperately trying to think of a solution. My mind was wheeling when he interrupted it. "_Link_..." he rumbled quietly. "You _do_ have it...don't you?" My eyes fell to the floor. Very quietly, I shook my head.

"No... I... I forgot," I admitted.

"You _WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT_!?!?!?" the salesman screamed. He practically exploded right in front of me. I would have fallen over in surprise, had he not thrust his hands around my shoulders and seized me into the air, shaking me violently. "You _FORGOOOOOOOOOOOT_!?!?" he demanded. "You idiot, you wretched idiot, what on earth were you thinking, you LET HER ESCAPE!!!!!" I shrank into his hands. His eyes had widened from slits to almonds, blood-shot and so serpentine that they could have been owned by the hood of Arbitra, the Goddess of Sand. He had such a ferocious face that it seemed to hiss at me. For a moment the salesman's eyes and mine connected, but then he hurled me across the landing and into a wall. I cried out in pain and fell to the floor. My eyes grew in size when I saw the puddle of blood forming on the wooden panels around me. They grew even wider when I realized my limbs were paralyzed from the collision—I couldn't move. All I could do was lay where I fell, sort of in a sitting position leaning against the wall helplessly as the salesman advanced. "I fulfilled my end of the bargain!" he screeched, lumbering towards me, the heavy backpack causing every step to thunder. "How _DARE_ you think you could get away without payment!? I turned you back into a Hylian, by Din's Rod! If it weren't for me, you'd be a filthy _WEED_!"

"Sir, I didn't try to trick you, I—" Before I could finish my sentence, he struck me hard across the face. My cheek stung like crazy, but with my paralyzed arms I couldn't rub it to make it feel better.

"Don't talk back to me!" the Happy Mask Salesman roared. "You owe me your life!"

"But I'm trying to tell you," I begged, "I didn't try to trick you! Skull Kid's too powerful! Sir, even if I remembered, there's no way I could have gotten that mask back!"

"Are you trying to tell me a little imp got the best of you so much that you couldn't even take his _mask_!?"

"No! You don't understand! He flew too high for me to reach! And by the time I even found him, I had ten minutes before the _moon_ fell!"

"Are you telling me he's cauing the moon to fall on Termina?" the salesman spat. "That's even less believable than the story of your trickery!"

"I'm not a liar!" I argued. "Listen, if you don't believe me, just step outside! Wait until the moon appears! You'll see!"

"I will, will I?" he snapped. He turned and started pushing through the door. "We'll see about that!"

"Wait," I gasped, "you're just leaving me here?" I darted my eyes for a moment at the floor, and saw a heck of a lot more blood than I saw the last time I looked. I was feeling a little faint.

"Shut up! You aren't going anywhere!" Without another word, he left. The Clock Tower's interior fell silent, or would have if it weren't for the sound of waterwheels below. A tear rolled down my cheek, but I hoped Tatl wouldn't notice. She was hiding in the rafters.

"And you wondered why I didn't like that guy!" she squeaked after a few minutes. "He's got a bigger mood swing than a Dodongo!" I recalled how quick the fire-breathing dinosaurs were to jump from docile to down-right vicious. The Happy Mask Salesman was worse. I hadn't expected that sort of reaction at all, nor did I think he was capable of dealing such punishment. Most of all, I hadn't anticipated him to be the kind of person that leaves the wounded to die.

But in a few more minutes, he returned. "Blast it all, it _is_ bigger!" he thundered. I stared at him in amazement. "Time passes faster in Termina than in here," he mumbled as an explanation. Then, back in his full voice, he began bashing his head in the wall. "What an idiot I was! I never should have let him have it! I've doomed everybody!"

"What do you mean?" I inquired cautiously.

"The mask," the Happy Mask Salesman hissed, suddenly towering above me. "It's all because of the mask!" When I returned his answer with a questioning look, he explained. "Listen: back when the universe was under construction, when the goddesses were just little girls, a great war occurred between the forces of good and evil. The war ended when Majora, the empress of the evil legion, was somehow destroyed. Now jump a few centuries into the future, when Hyrule was still being populated. There was a race living in Hyrule known as the Twili. Lured by the promise of power, they worshiped Majora in the hopes that one day she'd be revived and reward them. They sacrificed animals almost daily, and their bloody rituals were supposed to give Majora her strength back. In honor of her, they constructed a mask to wear during their sacrifices. That mask...is the same mask that horrible imp has stolen from me! _Now_ do you understand?"

I shook my head. "Look, can you please help me?" My head was getting dizzy.

"_Not until you understand_!!!" he roared. "The mask wasn't just a piece of wood! The Twili didn't know it, but Majora _used_ them! They sold their souls to her that day, and her evil spirit, thought to be long destroyed, was captured when they created that mask! Every time one of them wore it, they themselves were being turned into live sacrifices—she ate them from the inside-out whenever they wore it! That mask is an _evil_ mask, don't you understand!? As it stands, it is the very living body of Majora herself!!!"

"Then what were _you_ doing with it?" I demanded suspiciously.

"What!? I... I found it! It was thought to be lost forever, but I found it!" His seething frown turned into a dreamy grin. "You see," he began lightly, "I'm a bit of a...collector. All my life, I've collected masks—my goal is to get my hands on one of every kind in the world! When I was in college, though, I discovered that _beauty_ of a mask, as wretched as the demon is inside it. And since then, my life's mission has been to add it to my collection, no matter what the cost!" His frown returned. He gritted his teeth stressfully. "And it _was_ mine, at last, until that horrible Skull Kid stole it from me!"

I thought about how the imp had stolen Saria's ocarina; was he a kleptomaniac or something? "So he stole it, put it on... And now he's being possessed by Majora?"

"It couldn't have been immediate—you don't get your soul devoured just by putting it on. But if he wore it long enough..."

"Months," Tatl admitted shamefully, hanging her head. "We didn't notice any difference until recently, though. He started telling jokes more... Then he started playing games with us all the time. The games got more and more hurtful, though, to everybody around us. His friends abandoned him, and by last week it was just Tael and I who hung out with him. Then we caught him feasting on an animal in the forest—right through the mask—and we would have left him too if he hadn't begged us to stay."

"And he's still playing games," I growled. "And it ends when the moon hits the Clock Tower."

"Playfulness is Majora's calling card," the Happy Mask Salesman said sorrowfully. "After all, mischief _is_ the most basic form of evil—the joy of causing trouble. All evil stems from there. Majora never participates in anything unless it gives her a good laugh."

-

Most of what happened after that was a confusing mixture of anger and joy. I convinced the Happy Mask Salesman to fix me, which literally meant playing the organ to return me to my unbroken form. He then taught me how to play the song—the Song of Healing—on Saria's ocarina (which felt guilty for using; I hadn't owned an ocarina since Nayru took the Ocarina of Time back, and I felt bad for having to spoil Saria's ocarina's mouthpiece with my germs—on the other hand, it was quite...erotic, for lack of a better word, to be using the same mouthpiece she played on all the time, mixing her spit with mine....whoops, better get back on topic). "Whenever you see a soul that has been wronged by Majora, a soul that is in torment," the salesman explained, "play the Song of Healing to send their troubles away. It is your duty, Hero of Time, to undo the wrongs Skull Kid has done. Only then can you strip Majora of her power and get my mask back."

He seemed to have accepted that Skull Kid was too powerful in his current state, and grudgingly decided to give me whatever assistance he could. "If you find any rare masks, bring them back to me; they may serve as clues to what she's up to," he explained.

"And why is that?" I inquired.

"Masks, if you look carefully enough, always have a story to tell. If we ask correctly, than they may be willing to give up some secrets about their evil cousin."

I smiled nervously. "Oook_aaaaaaay_..."

Tatl wasn't about to forget what her brother said before Skull Kid killed him (which we were now fairly certain had happened). As soon as I finished explaining Nayru's mission and the giants, Tatl was insistent that I get started on the quest. "Don't you realize!?" she demanded. "The four compass directions are exactly what Tael was talking about! There's a swamp in the south, mountains in the north, a beach to the west, and there's a canyon in the wastelands to the east. He must have been talking about the giants, and we're standing here like bums not doing anything!"

"If you seek the giants," the Happy Mask Salesman suggested, "I'd recommend investigating the south first. Something tells me your task will be successful if you do. You can get to the swamp from the train station, I believe."

"Thank you," I bowed. "You've been a great help in figuring out this mess. I just have one question."

"Yes? And that is?"

"What's a 'trame stashun?'"

-

I had been on nothing in the least like a train in my entire life, not even a horse carriage. It was almost like being inside the small parlor of a miniature cottage, except with many of them in rows, each sealed off by a glass door on one side and a panoramic window on the other. There were others in my "cabin" (as they seemed to be called), but I paid them hardly any notice—I was the first one inside anyway, and so merely only caught their reflections in the window. There was a loud hissing sound that wouldn't go away; it was bothering me, and I preferred not to unleash my frustration onto others. I had a bit of anticipation too—what exactly was this strange box going to _do_? How would a giant, cumbersome box get so many people to such a faraway destination? Would it teleport, or use magic, or just crawl its way hour by dreadful hour?

At last, though, after what seemed like forever, the doors to both my cabin and to the entire box I was in shut, and with a rumble and more hissing, the box began to shake. I immediately got up and demanded if something was the matter. The other passengers in the cabin merely looked at me like I was out of my mind. "What are you talking about?" grumbled one woman, an austere old lady who seemed to date millions of years. "Quit fooling around and sit yourself, child. The train is about to depart!"

Speechless and quite embarrassed, I abruptly planted my rear-end on the cushiony chair lining the cabin wall and hushed. Turning my attention back to the window, I was shocked to see the city outside the box begin to move in the opposite direction of the front of the train. It went only by inches for a few seconds, but gradually and soon rapidly began to pick up speed. Astounded that I wasn't being slammed into the back of my seat, I gawked out the window as buildings, cars, people, and plants zoomed by in flashes so quickly I hadn't thought it imaginable. And then, with a sudden _whoosh_ it all vanished. All of the sudden, I found myself looking out onto miles and miles of open plains. I could only see Clock Town if I strained my left eye through the corner of the window, and even then it was just barely. The fields whirled by at incredible speeds, though things closer seemed to move much faster than things far away. "What magic is this?" I stammered quietly to Tatl.

"That magic is what we call 'coal,' Deku-brain," Tatl grudgingly replied, rolling her eyes.

There was a light tap on the cabin door, and I turned to discover a well-dressed man in white offering food to the other passengers of the cabin. Suddenly, his eyes locked with mine. "And you, sir? What will you be having this morning?"

I was at a loss of words. Obviously he wanted me to say something back, but I couldn't find words to associate with the unusual meals on his cart. My voice cracked and I began to panic. The world began to spin...

"Two burgers, please," Tatl answered, giving me a jolt of surprise. The man hadn't seen her, and thought it was me who replied.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Um..." I swallowed. All eyes were on me. "Two burgers...please."

The man nodded with a smile and reached under the cloth covering the cart. When he brought his hand back out, it held two porcelain plates. On each plate was a circular piece of bread, with what appeared to be cow meat on top of it, with vegetables and sauces on top of that, and finally with another piece of bread crowning the whole thing. I didn't know what it was, but it smelled and looked utterly delicious. I would have to thank Tatl. I accepted the two plates graciously, and set them on the window sill. The man left for the next cabin as Tatl jumped onto her "burger."

"What are these, and why do they smell so good?" I inquired, taking another whiff of the savory sandwich.

"It's a hamburger, kid," Tatl answered through a mouth full of food. "You really don't know much about this place, do ya?"

"Well, you can't exactly blame me," I mumbled quietly. I eyed my burger hungrily. "Where are my utensils?"

"Are you kidding me? You use your hands, you dolt! Pick up the sides with your hands, and dig in! This stuff's good, and it's all the rage in this country!"

I submitted and, rather awkwardly, lifted the burger to my face. The smell was even stronger. Blushing at the thought of everybody watching me use such horrible manners, I took a bite. My eyes bulged into saucers. This was good! _Really_ good! I'd tasted nothing like it! I took another bite and "mmm"-ed loudly. The irresistible blend of meaty juices with tomato sauce, the delicate texture of the lettuce and tomatoes, and the bizarre-yet-suitable preparation of the bread combined for a burst of delicious flavor unlike anything ever served in any restaurant in Hyrule, Labyrinna, and Holodrum _combined_!

When I was done I was almost in tears. How unfair it was, to have something so delicious taken away so abruptly! But eventually I got over it, and doing my best to savor the flavor still sitting on the verge of my throat, I settled back into the chair and watched the scenery. In my hands rested the wooden, melancholy Deku Mask, and I involuntarily fidgeted with it with my fingertips.

The rolling fields outside weren't vibrant green, but rather a dull green tinted with a bit of orange-brown, a subtle reminder that autumn was in Termina too. I didn't see many buildings to speak of, at first. However, after a while I could make out the observatory I had visited far in the distance, against jagged bare rocks that were so small that even with my keen eyesight appeared to be little more than a thin line on the horizon. A glance up, and I could easily see the moon, sinking ever so slightly in its ominous voyage into the atmosphere. No matter how many wonders I experienced, I had to remember that the whole planet was counting on me. Three days; if I didn't succeed in the south, I'd have to play the Song of Time and start all over again (how strange that sounds!).

As the train bounced and shuffled its way onward, we shot across a bridge over a sparkling stream. There were ducks playing in the water not too far off. It was uplifting to see such merriment despite the circumstances in the heavens.

"Breath-taking, isn't it?" I peeled my head away from the window. A man sat in the seat beside me, dressed in a strange, tight green suit with a pointy hat on his head and an open newspaper in his hands, was observing me with a gentle smile. I nodded silently. "I can't get enough of it. That's what I love about this part of the country—there's nowhere as beautiful as Southern Termina."

"You come here often?"

The man scoffed. "Oh, no. No, I just look at it through the window. As beautiful as it is, the business is actually quite bad. There's nothing but scenery—nothing that one can do more than look at with. But I live in the city, and I work in the swamp, so I get to see this part of the country often."

"Oh." I thought about that. "What is it you do?"

The man closed his newspaper, crossed his legs, and grinned through his half-moon spectacles. "I sell maps, young man. The best maps in all of Termina, mind you," he added, "so they aren't cheap. It used to be a booming business, but with all the hubbub lately we haven't been getting many foreigners, so these days I've been scrapping for every penny!" He reached out a hand. "My name is Tingle. How do you do?"

I shook it. "Good, I guess. My name's Link. I'm...a swordsman. And a foreigner."

Tingle's left eyebrow lifted. "A _foreigner_, are you? From whereabouts?"

I searched for an answer. "From... Uh... Koholint!"

He leaned forward with great interest. "A _Maber_, are you? So I suppose you've heard of...fairies, perhaps?" There was a twinkle in his eye.

"Why yes," I stammered. Tatl peeked out from underneath my hat.

Tingle stared at the fairy, transfixed. "Oh, so I see... I see you know them quite well indeed... Ah, may I...?"

"Sure, I guess..."

He lifted a finger and stroked Tatl on the head. "And what's your name, my dear?" he whispered, almost lovingly.

"Tatl," the fairy snapped, drawing her head away. "And don't you forget it!"

Tingle looked quite shaken, and nodded with embarrassment and drew away. He watched Tatl silently for a moment, then quickly turned the focus of his eyes back onto me. "So, what is your business in the swamp today, Link?" he asked with an awkward smile.

"I... I'm just sight-seeing," I lied.

Tingle gave me a great frown of concern. "Sight-seeing?" he scowled. "Oh, you don't want to do that!"

I turned my body completely away from the window. "Why do you say that?" I demanded.

"Didn't you know?" He looked quite surprised.

The train came to a sudden halt, so sudden that I almost was flung forward. "We apologize to inform you," said an old man's voice coming from a strange circular hole in the ceiling, covered in mesh, "but due to wartime regulations, we will be unable to arrive into Woodfall Station."

"_Wartime_ regulations?" I gasped.

"We apologize for not notifying passengers sooner, but we were unaware the war zone extended into the station until a few minutes ago. We're sorry, but all passengers who still wish to enter the swamp must disembark now and continue on foot. All remaining passengers will be returned to Clock Town with no extra fee. Have a good day!"

"_War_ zone?" I gawked at Tingle.

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I'm afraid I must tell you that as of a few days ago, the Deku have declared war on the Monkey Empire. There is a battle going on as we speak. I hope you don't still have to do your sight-seeing."

I looked helplessly to Tatl, who was equally dumbfounded. "I can't believe it... Those idiots...!" she whispered sharply.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tingle frowned as he stood up to let me through the aisle. "Good luck!" He sat back down and opened his newspaper. "May the Wind Fish be with you, Link and Tatl!"

-

I was the only person who stepped off the train. With a great huff, the long vehicle started moving backwards, and in a cloud of smoke it vanished back towards Clock Town.

I stood in the shade of countless trees, standing so tall above my head that they could have towered over even the Lost Woods'. Sunlight filtered through the breaks in the leaves, but was absorbed by another layer of small trees about mid-length between the tall tree canopies and the ground. Birds with unnatural cries echoed overhead, yet it was so high up that their calls were merely quiet echoes by the time they reached my pointy ears. It was quite a different scene from the open, empty fields that had graced the train ride; what strange creatures lived in this wilderness, where the sun couldn't even reach the bottom of the ecosystem?

A wooden sign marked a dirt path near the thick base of a tree. I stepped over to it, noting how soft and mud-like the soil underneath the plants on the ground was. A light sprinkle of water drops fell from the treetops and landed on my nose and ear tips. Did the leaves collect the water and lose it? I was sure it wasn't raining. Brushing a damp leaf off the face of the sign, I saw words in a strange language I could barely make out as being Deku. It was a language we saw every now and then in the Lost Woods, and could speak somewhat fluently as Kokiri, but this was in a different dialect that I couldn't understand. Written underneath, though, was a translation: "THIS WAY TO WOODFALL," it read.

"That's the name of the swamp," Tatl whispered.

"Swamp?" I repeated.

She nailed me on the head. "Don't you know what a swamp is, nimrod? South Termina is covered in a dense jungle, which is primarily wetland known as the Deku Marshes. The water in the marshlands comes from a large extinct volcano called Woodfall. The jungle is sometimes given that name too."

"The Deku Marshes... Is that where we're headed?"

"The marshes are right at the foot of Woodfall, and are dead south. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the giant was there."

I looked down the path in the direction the sign pointed. It went on in a straight line for a while, then twisted into a misty darkness not too far away. "Does anything...dangerous live in these marshes?"

"I hope for Din's sake you know how to wield that sword, Link," Tatl asserted. "You're going to need it."

"I'm not carrying this heavy thing around for nothing," I grumbled with annoyance. "What did you think it was for, display?"

"Jeez, you don't have to get so angry, I was just kidding, sheesh!"

I shook my head. Fairies, I could never understand them. Except Navi, but she was gone now. Thanks for leaving me with _this_, I mentally cursed to her.

There was a loud snarl nearby, startling the both of us. Tatl launched herself into the treetops, screaming, "They're gonna get us, they're gonna get us!" I drew my sword swiftly and donned my shield. The forest fell into silence rather abruptly. There wasn't hide nor hair of any danger, unless it was camouflaged by the trees. I waited for a moment, listening for an invisible intruder, but after a few minutes I became resolved that whatever it was had gone away.

"Alright, Tatl," I called up to the canopy, "you can come down now!" Nobody came down. "It's gone!" Still not as much as a reply from above. I grumbled to myself angrily. Navi would _never_ desert me, yet this was Tatl's _second time_! What a disrespectful fairy; it was completely against the code of the Lost Woods, even if I _wasn't_ her true companion. Navi and I would get in fights, but even when we were really cross with each other, as we were near the bottom of the Dodongo's Cavern, it was impossible for the two of us to separate. I did manage to lose her in Lake Hylia and the Lost Woods in the future, but one was due to a natural force and the other was unintentional. "Fine!" I warned. "If you want to tough it out on your own, be my guest! I never wanted you anyway!" Without looking back, I stomped off down the path.

-

It was raining rather ominously by the time I arrived at the grimmest body of water ever to possibly be conceived. The sky was saturated with grey clouds, pouring a light foray of rain that stung with coldness. A light mist hovered over swirling, murky grey water, slithering right through the path and winding its way into the dark shadows of the trees to the left. Floating on the dreary river were giant lilypads, devoid of any vivid green at all and instead a greyish olive color that reminded me of vomit. A colorful (though very frightening) bird swooped over my head and perched itself on a branch hanging over the water, staring at me as if it didn't know what to make of me. Despite its many colors, its face was disfigured and grotesque, as if it were merely a witch or hag who loved every color of the rainbow. It's eyes had no pupils.

Looming high above the murk was a wooden platform, on which sat a small hut that looked like it hadn't been given a good maintenance in years. "What a dreadful place," I muttered disapprovingly, from where I stood underneath a large, wide leaf. The rain didn't reach the ground of the jungle very much, but it came in droves over the open ground surrounding the platform. The hut had a large sign on it, from which the paint had all but been wiped away by the rain; it read, "SWAMP TOUR KIOSK."

Without any idea of where I was supposed to go in the swamp, I soon discovered I had no choice but to brave the rain and climb the rickety wooden ladder to the hut. "You're going to make this as hard and terrible as possible, aren't you, Majora?" I asked under my breath. The gods, I knew, couldn't directly alter the world after its creation, like the exiled god Bongo Bongo could. However, as Farore would do many times in the future, they could influence it in their favor. Considering I was now up against the trickster god Majora, my luck would be irrefutably poor. Taking it like a man, I decided to just brave the guaranteed misfortune and get to the kiosk as fast as I could. I took a deep breath and ran out of the tree cover and into the freezing rain, but to my almost immediate disgust I discovered the grassy shore to in actuality be a lot of grass sticking up from a sea of mud. My boots almost completely sank into the brown goop, and I quivered at the concept of having to wash the mud off later.

It was a truly horrendous task, trudging through the mud towards the old pier the ladder rested on—an experience not unlike my repulsing trek through the Kakariko Well. As if it couldn't get any worse, though, I was halfway to the dock when my boot caught onto a root and sent me buckling through the air, landing face-down in the sludge. "Ugh!" I screamed in agony and frustration as I spit the mud and grass out of my mouth. I pushed up with my wrists and toes in an attempt to get myself back up, but I merely pushed more mud out of the way and collapsed back into it. It took a total of four attempts before I managed to get myself back onto two feet without slipping and losing my balance. I looked down at myself. My shirt, shorts, legs, arms, boots, even the nose between my eyes were as brown as chocolate, and covered with grass and weeds and (gulp) one or two worms stuck to the mud on my chest. I tossed them away hurriedly. Though it was a slimy sensual experience, I dreaded far more the time when all this mud dried. _That_, I knew, would be the most displeasing experience of all.

Finally, though, I arrived at the slippery, wet dock reaching out into the opaque waters of the bayou. I caught a brief glimpse of something long and shiny undulate out of the water for a split second before twisting back in. What could possibly exist in such a land was beyond my imagination, and I didn't wish to test those limits. With extreme haste, pausing only to note the canoe resting dryly underneath the platform, I hoisted myself up the ladder and onto the platform, wincing as I got a splinter. This just wasn't my day.

Needless to say, I was greatly relieved when I found the inside of the kiosk to be dry and warm. _Hah!_ I thought. _I don't need a fairy. I'm managing just fine!_ I hoped that wherever Tatl was, she was in no better of a situation.

I should have seen it coming long before stepping inside the dilapidated hut, but the interior was nothing close to luxury. The straw roof didn't keep the rain out very well, and it dripped visibly in various places, only sometimes being caught by one of the three rusty, dented buckets sitting precariously about the single room building. The entire interior otherwise was built of wood and bamboo, though it was impossible to tell which was used first because both were complete messes. Held together not by nail but by rope, the aged materials looked like they needed repair in many places—the floors, most notably. It was a truly dreary place, I thought as I took in my surroundings. No happiness could exist in a place such as this. How such a gloomy, grey, unkempt hut such as this could lead me to an omnipotent giant, I hadn't the slightest idea.

Perhaps, I thought, the best way to start was by asking questions. That wouldn't be too difficult, of course, because there was in fact only one person in the small enclosure. A well-built giant of a man stood with his burly back turned to me behind a bamboo counter, looking over a map and scratching his bristly chin in great concern. Atop his unkempt head, he wore a strange, velvet beige hat that twisted upwards on the side, with an additional tower in the center. He wore a brown leather jacket and brown cowhide pants. Though I couldn't see much of his face apart from his wide chin, the way he was fidgeting gave away that he was deeply troubled over something or another.

"Excuse me?" I requested, surprising myself with the break of rainy silence. "I'm looking for...tourist information."

The man turned around, and then I truly saw an intimidating sight. He was all muscle—his arms, his bare chest and stomach, everything. He looked taller than even Impa, and more menacing too with the black goggles covering his eyes. Considering I wasn't smelling the mud, he wasn't the cleanest of apes, but that was a point I thought best not to bring up. His hairy arms, dirty fingernails, and unshaven face gave him an experienced look, actually, and seemed fitting for such a wilderness as the Deku Marshes. "Information?" he repeated, his voice dim-witted but expression sagely. I didn't know what to make of him. Usually wise people had a wise look to them—this man looked more like he had been scrapping for food all his life. He continued to scratch his chin as he surveyed me. I assumed the mud was what caused such interest—however, I was gravely mistaken, as I'd soon find out. "Tourist information? I'm sorry, pal, but we're closed..."

"O-Oh," I groaned. "Alright." I turned away in defeat (normally I'd have asked more questions, but this man looked more dangerous to get mad than a Goron), and slowly approached the door, pondering what I should do next.

Just as I put my palm on the decaying doorknob, the man changed his mind. "Wait!" he cried hastily. "D-Don't go!" I turned and looked at him questioningly, but he didn't reply. He just stared at me and scratched his chin some more. Finally, after I looked like I was about to leave again, he remarked, "You look...an awful lot like my son."

I blinked. "Really?" He showed me to a wooden chair, and I hesitantly sat down. It was the polite thing to do, of course, but I couldn't help but be repulsed by the fungus growing on the edge of the seat.

"My son's way older than you, mind ya—but the resemblance is still there. The clothes, you know?" He stepped around the counter and leaned against it, taking me in with even more bafflement. "I used to think he was the only person in the world who dressed that way... Yet you..." Finally, he removed his hand from his chin. "If ya don't mind me askin', where in the world do you come from? You look just like what my son pretended to be—you've even got real pointy ears, unlike those fake ones my son has on his hat."

Somehow, I felt guilty lying to him. He really did seem sincere. "I'm from Koholint." In all honesty, I'm pretty sure I made up that name sometime when I was really young, but it seemed to strike home with everybody in Termina so I kept using it. Just as before, the man seemed to know of a "Koholint." "Everybody dresses like this there," I explained, though really only Kokiri seemed to dress in tunics these days, and even then the trend was declining. Saria had already started wearing longer clothes, and she had convinced me to wear a sweater in the winter.

"Koholint... That's strange, in all my life I never saw a Maber dressed as you are. But I don't know much about the island, so who am I to say...?" He grumbled something to himself rather disapprovingly. "I must apologize," he then explained. "My son—though I'd hardly consider him one, the fool—has had a strange disorder ever since he was young. He seems to believe in the existence of fairies—what would you call that, schizophrenia? I don't know anymore. But he's 32—_32—_and he insists on running around in those ridiculous clothes! No offense," he added, seeing my frown.

"What did you say your son's name was, again?" I inquired. Something sounded familiar about this person.

"Simon, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise!" he growled, gritting his teeth. Bad father-son relationship, it looked like. Not only that, but my nose informed me that lack of dental hygiene was also involved in the scheme of things. "The fool—the moment he turned 18 he changed his name to some dinky thing like 'Twinkle' or something! I don't understand what's going on in his head, but he insists that the alleged fairies will like him better if he gives himself a name they like."

"Ah," I replied, swallowing what were going to be my next words. It didn't seem like a good idea anymore to bring up Tingle. It really looked like they didn't see eye-to-eye.

Tingle's father was silent for a moment, staring at the dingy floor and thinking about something or another. I sat, scratching my arm awkwardly as the mud began to cake and dry. I'd need a bath soon, and I prayed to all three goddesses that it wouldn't be in the river. At last, the man stood up and straightened himself. "You were talking about information," he offered. "What kind?"

I looked up from my muddy arm. The view of the man, however, wasn't a much better sight. "Well, I've never been to the swamp before, and I don't quite know my way. I'm looking for...somewhere interesting to visit. I'm sight-seeing, you see. This is my first time in Termina."

"Bad place to come, boy," the man cautioned in a low voice as he stepped back behind the counter and started rummaging for something. He pulled out a folded up map from underneath the counter and laid it out on top so I could see it. To my surprise, the map was cleaner than Princess Zelda's well-tended courtyard, and even had a dull shine to it. The drawings on the paper were expertly drawn, down to the greatest detail, and I could read and comprehend the map's key instantly. It wasn't too difficult to figure out where I was, considering there was only one railroad crossing through the jungle, but it was quite helpful to see the twists and bends of the river. Apparently, the river was massive in length, swerving this way and that through almost every acre of the jungle. "My son may be a good for nothing deserter, but he makes good maps," Tingle's father admitted awkwardly, voice so hushed that it seemed he said it only with great embarrassment. With a pudgy, coarse finger, he pointed at a spot near the bottom of the map. A little north of where the man pointed was a large, undetailed circle, with the words "Woodfall" written on top of it, probably mapping out the edges of the volcano. "If there's one thing to see in the swamp," he explained, "it's this right here. I must tell you, the swamp extends far below this point, but we don't have legal authorization by the Deku government to publish maps of their kingdom."

"Deku kingdom?" I remarked, rather surprised that there was a kingdom in such a grim setting. Not to mention a Deku one—the Deku in Hyrule and Holodrum weren't a major race at all, and didn't have anything that could truly be called a kingdom, though they were part of the confederacy that Kokiri and Skull Kids were a part of too. They had at most a mini-kingdom. Yet here, of all places...

The man nodded ominously. "Never heard of 'em? They're a shady race, those Dekus... I don't admit them in this kiosk, and neither does the manager for that matter. I don't trust them one bit. They have a whole civilization south of Mt. Woodfall, one so grand it rivals the Termanian Republic as the most powerful nation in Termina. They don't trust anybody, though, and almost never leave the marshlands for anything. That's why I don't trust them—they never take sides, and will only help out whoever they think is winning. A while back when we were having our Civil War, the Deku provided weapons to one side, then suddenly cut off all shipments and sent them to the other." I stared at him in a mixture of shock and interest. "But despite my own prejudices, the Deku Kingdom is a must see for any traveler; only Deku are actually allowed inside, but it is pretty impressive to see their capital from the base of Woodfall."

"That sounds interesting," I smiled. "I'd love to go take a look."

The man put both his elbows on the counter and connected his fingertips. "There's two reasons why you can't, partner," he sighed.

"Then why did you point it out?" I demanded.

"So that, depending on your stay, you could take a look at it later. There's a war going on, pal, and the Deku consider any non-Deku in their territory to be hostile. Have you ever seen their mouths? They're like guns! The other issue is that the only way there is via boat—our boat, as a matter of fact. Problem is, I'm not authorized to send out any boats with my boss missing."

"Missing?"

"You betcha. The mistress went to the denser part of the woods over in the east to pick some mushrooms for her sister, I believe. But she hasn't been back for hours, and she doesn't take all that long to do errands for her sister. I've uh... I've been worrying about her."

"Is there something there to be worried about?"

He nodded. "The natives call it Korkawkaw—the Turtle King. Not to mention, it's monkey territory. They're just about as friendly as the Deku. I can't tell which one I hate more; those stuffed up puppets or the narcissist apes!"

It was about time something like this came along. I needed something to keep my mind busy. A rescue mission was exactly what I needed. "Where can I find her sister?" I asked lowly. "I'd like to have a word with her."

The man grumbled loudly. "Of course! Another person I hate! What a week I've been having..." He rubbed his face. "Alright... You need directions to the Potion Shop? Look here." He pointed at a small vale in the northeast. "This is the Cauldron of Souls. Old Ikana folklore spoke of it like it carried their ghosts to the afterlife, you know?"

I shook my head. "Who are the Ikana?"

He folded up the maps and put them away. "You don't want to know, kid. They used to have an empire stretching from the far east all the way down to a little past the Cauldron."

"'Used' to?"

He looked at me straight in the eyes, not even risking a blink. His words were stern, like a father giving orders to his son. "Now you listen, and you listen good. Ain't no way I'm letting a poor kid like you hear those ghost stories. Take my advice, and leave the Ikana how history wants them: dead and forgotten." He walked past me and opened the door. It was raining as hard as ever. "Look. I'll show you where to find the boss' sister; my help ends there."

-

The Cauldron of Souls was on the other side of a large stone wall, crippled with age. I would have had to find another path, except a section of the wall had collapsed enough for me to climb over it. The rocks were slick from so many years of rain, and my hands slipped as I pulled myself up. I wound up giving my elbow a bruise I'll never forget.

For a moment I sat on what remained of the wall section, legs dangling over one side. Though I was sure there was still some daytime left in the first of the three days I had, the swamp was dark, the rain clouds blocking out so much of the sky that it looked like dusk had already ended and it was that brief period when the sun had already set but there was still some light left on the ground. I coughed some of the rainwater out of my lungs and surveyed the forest. Dark shadows crept around in the brush; I couldn't tell what they were, but I knew they were watching me. Near them were crumbling pillars hidden from the world by the trees. "This must be an archaeologist's paradise," I remarked.

I became preoccupied with a strange tree for a moment, its spindly trunk ending with strange tufts of leaves rather than the correct, ovular sort. "If only I had Navi," I thought aloud. "She'd tell me what these are..." I heard a twig snap, and peeking around I realized with a shudder that the shadows, whatever they were, had come closer. Worse yet, they were still watching me. With a shiver, I rose and thought it best to keep going.

Eventually, the muddy trail I was on brought me to a small lake, surrounded on all sides by cliffs (indeed, I had had to pass through a tunnel to get there). Briefly reminded of the Sacred Forest Meadow, I looked up to see if there were any temples of any kind at the tops of the cliffs. To my dismay, there were only more trees. Some river came over the edge and fell into the vale as a narrow waterfall; its water, contrary to the water near the kiosk, was pure. It splashed into the lake, swirling about in the water before flowing down a low tunnel in the rocks and out of the Cauldron.

In the center of the lake, connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge, was a hand-crafted pillar of wood, rising from the water and up to the midway point up the sides of the hole. Crowning the top of the pillar was a small hut made of clay, shaped and painted to resemble a ceramic pitcher. Grudgingly eying the second slippery ladder I would see that day, I was able to identify that the building at the center of the lake was the home of the Tour Kiosk's owner's sister: the Magic Potion Shop.

-

In stark contrast to the Swamp Tour Kiosk, the Magic Potion Shop was quite bountiful with riches of every shape and size. It was no less dark and unfriendly than the Kiosk, but the walls, corners, and some parts of the floor were lit up by shiny, golden or silver objects and treasures that reflected light from two cauldrons at the back of the room, emitting smokey green and blue steam through the air and up into a hole in the center of the ceiling. As beautiful as the riches were, I couldn't help but find them dishonest, and was almost convinced that they were at some point or another stolen or conjured from nothing. The gold was, after all, quite aged, and there was very little of note between one treasure and the next other than that they were vastly different from each other. It was very nice, though, to truly get out of the rain at last. Everything but the floor was made of clay, and everything inside was perfectly dry, except for the spot underneath the hole in the ceiling. The room was obviously made to impress customers, I thought with a smirk. Any inexperienced wanderer would find the owner wealthy and hospitable, and business could be set down so that the owner got away with a little extra in her pockets. Fortunately, I had met my share of dishonest and plotting salespeople, so I wouldn't be fooled by a little fluff.

Nobody was present in the small store, so I stepped up to the wooden counter and tapped the small ringer labeled "Ring for Service." There was a crash from the other room (marked by a rounded door on the other side of the counter), and a thump, and the door swung open. To my horror, an all-too-familiar woman stood in the doorway. Bronze, wrinkled skin dusty with age clung to brittle bones that should have collapsed decades ago. Crooked, rotting teeth dangled above her chin in a massive overbite, though in fairness there were hardly any teeth left _to_ dangle. Between two enormous, bulging eyes was a glimmering blue gem, and above that a oversized bun of light grey hair. The woman was dressed in fine, ornate robes, which covered everything but her thin, bony fingers and long, untrimmed fingernails far beyond the point of yellowing. The room seemed to get a whole lot colder; before me stood Kotake of the Twinrova Sisters.

At once I grabbed my sword and shield, prepared to kill her before she got the first chance. I roared and pounced at her, but before I could contact her hideous hide I found myself suspended in mid-air. "Stop right there! Don't think you can pull a fast one on me, boy," the ice witch growled. "I may be old, but I'm not defenseless. Who do you think you are, disturbing me in such an outrageous fashion?" I tried to speak, but my mouth was frozen. When she realized this, she fluttered two fingers and released my mouth.

"Who do you _think_ I am, you hag!? You should know what I look like by now!"

"Don't talk to me that way, you insolent little boy!" Kotake snapped. "Now give me a straight answer, or I shall bring the cold fury of the north upon your feeble heart! I've never seen you before in my life!"

I was taken off-guard. "Wh-What?" I uttered. "You... You've never seen me before?"

"Never!" she repeated.

"But aren't you... Aren't you Madame Dragmire?"

"I've never heard of a Madame Dragon-fire-whatever in my entire existence!"

Ooooooooh boy. "I'm sorry!" I apologized hastily. "I... I thought you were someone else!"

Kotake grumbled and started wiping the dust off of one of her giant golden ornaments. "Well, obviously I'm not who you thought I was." She made herself busy cleaning her side of the counter, delicately wiping a good amount of bottles full of peculiarly colored liquids.

After a long wait, I coughed loudly. "Um... Can you let me down now, please, madam?"

Kotake didn't even look at me. "Oh, very well," she muttered. With a wave of her free hand, I was released, and landed with a thud on the floor.

Could this really be a different Kotake? I had not made the acquaintance of the Twinrova Sisters (the other of which was named Koume) until the denouement of my campaign in Hyrule six years in the future. Though I at first met them as two ancient hags guarding the Spirit Temple, I learned that they were, in fact, two separated halves of Ganondorf's mother, Madame Twinrova Dragmire. So much was revealed to me in the intense battle we had atop the temple's roof. She had been the mastermind behind the entire take-over of Hyrule, and Koume in particular had been responsible for the deaths of my parents. They were evil, psychopathic witches who would stop at nothing to assure ultimate power—even if it meant raising their son only for him to die after his purpose was completed. The duel I had with Madame Dragmire—her magical juggling sticks, the rain of meteors, Navi's near-death—all these memories were still fresh in my mind. If this was Kotake in the past, I'd be betraying all of Hyrule if I didn't kill her. On the other hand, if she really wasn't the wretched hag, slaying her would cause the death of an innocent. My hatred told me to go with the former, but as Hero of Time I was obliged to go with the latter unless given irrefutable proof she was evil.

"I... I'm sorry for what happened," I restated quietly. She didn't seem to notice. Quietly and awkwardly I stood, watching her hobble around the room dusting things, feeling sincerely guilty for attacking her. First impressions were always important, and with such a powerful witch (especially with an ambiguous affiliation) wrong impressions could be devastating.

Finally, she grumbled very quietly, "So is that all you came in for, or is there something you want?"

I had forgotten about the owner of the kiosk. "Actually, there is," I nodded sheepishly. "Um... I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your sister's gone missing." Kotake froze. "I was sent by the man in the kiosk to find her. I thought you might be able to help."

Kotake whirled around and stared at me with wide eyes. She even trembled a little. "_Koume_!? She's missing!?" she demanded.

My jaw dropped. "You... You mean Koume is your..."

"My sister, yes! How did you know?"

"Never mind."

"Well this changes things entirely! You should have told me sooner! Where is she?"

"I..." I thought. "Well, I don't know. Somewhere in the forest... To the east, I think?"

"You mean the Woods of Mystery! Boy, we fly to her at once! Come with me, quickly!" She opened a flap of wood on one end of the counter, allowing me passage through to the other side. With one ancient hand she waved furiously for me to pass through, and then together we went back through the door.

-

Before I knew it, I was sitting behind my greatest enemy on a small broomstick, clinging to her to keep myself from falling off. "Are you hanging on tight?" Kotake asked, craning her head back to look at me. "I don't want you falling off!"

I nodded my head nervously. "Yes, I'm holding on as tight as I can."

"Alright. In that case, let's fly!" There was a sudden rush of freezing wind, and the broom launched itself upwards through a strange sort of chimney and out the top of the Magic Potion Shop. I gasped as the forest shrank beneath us, the trees getting smaller and smaller until they all blended into one solid surface. Gravity pulled down on every muscle in my body, begging and commanding me to fall. Was this what it was like for a bird? I decided I never wanted to be a bird, and would certainly never do this again if I could help it. In any case, I had a new respect for those who could fly.

"The Woods of Mystery is that way, to the east!" Kotake pointed. "Hang on, and whatever you do don't let go! This is going to be a bumpy ride!"

"What!?" Suddenly the world lurched closer as a great spiral of blue fire erupted from the back of the broom, just behind my freezing rump. The broom hurdled forward almost like the strange mechanical birds above Clock Town. The wind whipped at my face, and I found myself getting colder and colder as we gained more and more altitude. Looking up, I saw the clouds rapidly approaching. "We're going to hit the clouds!" I reported. "Kotake, watch out!"

"Hang on!" the witch merely repeated.

I slammed my eyes shut and braced myself. There was at first just the rushing of wind, when all of the sudden the whole broom shook as if it had flown straight into a mountain. I could feel rain droplets painfully pounding on my cheeks and eyes as we flew through the cloud. I felt as if my whole body would freeze, and prayed to Din that I'd wind up somewhere warm by the end of the day. When I opened my eyes—just for a peek before closing them again to keep the water drops out—I saw a multitude of wispy greys, as if all the world were up in smoke. "Hmm," Kotake grumbled in front of me. "It looks like it's going to rain tomorrow."

"When are we going to go down?" I pleaded.

"Right about...now!" My breath was forced out of me as the broom suddenly snapped downwards and sent itself hurtling towards Termina. When we broke out of the clouds, I couldn't help but scream as the forest below grew bigger and bigger dangerously fast. It was terrible. Kotake only laughed. To my horror, the rate at which the forest approached was increasing second by second. We were as good as a meteor. I struggled not to let go of the witch.

"Go up, go up!" I begged. Somehow Kotake wasn't listening—or perhaps in the whistling of the wind my words were drowned out. But then suddenly, a mere second before we crashed into the trees, the broom snapped upwards and into a horizontal position, and we began skimming over the canopy as if we were a boat on water. Kotake started looking down over the sides of the broom. "What now?" I gasped.

"I'm looking to see if Koume's been this way," she answered. "It shouldn't be much longer. Just keep a good grip on my back, and you'll be fine." I decided this Kotake was a good witch. An evil Gerudo witch wouldn't keep me safe like that. "Aha!" she burst out, and once again the broom swept downwards, through a gap in the trees. At an astounding speed, we were now weaving in and out of the deciduous pillars.

"Why is it called the Woods of Mystery?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off of how close the tree trunks were passing us.

"Oh, haven't you noticed?" Kotake explained. "We're upside-down!"

"_What_!?" I shot a quick glance up and hung there. She was right—sure enough, instead of seeing the sky, I saw more trees dropping down from what was almost like a ceiling of grass. "But... How is that possible?"

Our broom zoomed through a giant, hollow log. When it came out on the other side, I was dumbfounded to see the world in front of me distorting as a tongue does when it is curled. The circle of wood around us seemed to widen as we passed through it, opening like a gate and closing when we were past. When I took a peek behind us, nothing was twisted at all; in front of us, though, the forest continued to form a tunnel.

"Watch out!" Kotake exclaimed as the broom suddenly dipped down under one of the tree "rings." All of the sudden we were hurtling towards the sky, yet again towards the clouds.

"Oh no, not again!" I gulped.

But when we came through the bottoms of the clouds, I was surprised to see the tops of the canopy approaching as if we had just dived. "Hold on!" the witch warned. I tightened my grip just in time before the broom made a sharp 90-degree left turn and began flying towards the tops of a different forest—a sideways forest, as if it all grew from a cliff. The rapid approach towards the new treetops caused me to scream once again, but Kotake quickly wiggled two fingers and my mouth slammed shut. "Quiet!" she scolded. "You don't want the army to hear you, do you?"

"The army?" I attempted through my sealed mouth. It only came out as muffled grunts, but she understood.

"Don't you know, there's a war going on!" she explained. "They have anti-aircraft guns all over the place. I don't want them seeing us and mistaking us for Deku planes. We're deep in the Monkey Empire now." I couldn't answer, but my eyes grew wide.

This time, instead of flying through the trees, the broom began to slow down as it approached the forest. Just before it hit the first branches it snapped horizontal and began to gently lower itself to the grass-covered ground. The blue fire behind me vanished, and I began to feel at least a tad bit warmer.

Kotake and I dismounted. I looked around. The trees, as it turned out, were almost just as big as the buildings in Clock Town. In the darkness they cast on the forest floor, moss-covered ruins lingered like silent observers. I shivered. Kotake released my mouth just in time for me to sneeze.

Lying on the ground in front of us was a woman virtually identical in every way to a mirrored image of Kotake, with the prime exception of the orange jewel on her forehead rather than a blue one. I recognized her instantly as Koume, the fire-wielding Twinrova Sister who, at least as I knew the sisters in Hyrule, was responsible for setting both of my parents on fire when I was just a baby. Even though I assumed this wasn't the same Koume, I couldn't help but feel my blood boil with hatred at the sight of her.

"Koume!" Kotake cried. "Koume, are you alright?"

The fire witch agonizingly pushed herself up from the ground. "Kotake... Is that you?" she moaned.

"Who else sounds this old? What happened? What are you doing so far from home?"

"Oooh..." Koume tried to get up, but couldn't and fell back to the ground. "The Festival of Time is coming up... So I thought I'd collect some rare mushrooms here and prepare something special for you... But then this hoodlum showed up and broke my back! The nerve, these young people and their disrespect!"

Kotake bore a mixture of a smile and disappointment. "That's so kind of you, Koume! But you should be ashamed. We are the most powerful witches in all of Termina, and yet you were crippled by some kid?"

"Silence, Kotake! You know better! He had more power than I could have ever imagined in an imp such as himself. Believe me, I fought." We looked up and saw one of the trees had been recently burnt to the ground, and was now only a black stump. I gulped; the stump looked like it had been a massive tree before it was incinerated.

"Well, the past is the past," Kotake nodded sympathetically. With a snap of her bony finger, a bottle appeared in her hand. It was filled to the brim with a liquid so red, I could have mistaken it for blood. In fact, I was fairly certain that was what it was. "Look, I brought you a gift—a Red Potion. Consider it a thank you for the mushrooms, dear."

Koume reached out excitedly. "Oh, give it here, give it here!" she demanded. With gusto she swiped the bottle from Kotake, uncorked it, and drank every last drop. Neither witches noticed, but as Koume drank I left briefly to throw up.

Koume was just finishing up when I got back. With a great crack she threw the bottle into a tree and released a burst of fire, pushing her up and onto her feet. "Behold!" she announced. "The Great Koume has been revived!" She hobbled towards her sister. "Thank you, Kotake; I feel wonderful!"

"Don't thank me," the ice witch cooed. "Thank the boy; he's the one who told me you were here."

Koume grinned at me. She had very few teeth left to smile with, but it's the thought that counts. "If you need anything—anything at all—be sure to drop by the Swamp Tour Kiosk. You won't regret it."

"Do you have your broom?" Kotake asked her.

She shook her head. "No, the little brat took it away. I haven't the slightest clue where it—"

They were interrupted by a loud shriek somewhere in the direction of the burnt stump. All eyes were directed towards an enormous turtle, standing atop the stump with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Sitting on the turtle's shell was a frog roughly the size of a Cucco, covered in an exotic array of orange and black colors. It bore a most wickedly insane grin, the sort of smile that meant it was ready for our deaths. "Korkawkaw!" Kotake exclaimed. "The Turtle King!"

Koume gasped. "The scoundrel! He's got my broom!" With great excitement, she pointed at the frog's webbed hands, one of which grasped the handle of a long wooden broom.

I eyed the drool dripping from the turtle's mouth nervously. "What are we going to do?" I groaned.

Koume flung an arm out in front of Kotake and I. "It is fortunate that you two got here when you did. I might have been an easy snack for that dastardly duo. But now I have been revived, and I'm just itching to give my magic a bit of practice. Stand back!" she ordered. "Koume, Master of Fire, is back!"

The frog pointed at us with Koume's broom and made another crazed shriek. The turtle nodded, roared (not unlike a Dodongo, I thought), and charged with shocking speed. It was upon us before I even realized it. I reached for my sword, but before I could Kotake grabbed my shoulders and held me defensively. "Don't worry, boy," she assured, "you're in for a spectacle!"

Koume held her hands out to her sides, palms open. "You think you can steal my broom?" she growled, unfazed by Korkawkaw's charge. "Well think again!" She clapped her hands together hard, and a wave of fire exploded from the air around her. The fire burned with such force and heat that it was almost white, and the ground directly in front of the witch seemed to melt. The ring of fire only lasted for a second, however, before it was sent hurtling towards the turtle and frog. The two screamed in pain, but within seconds they were gone, a black pile of ashes all that remained.

Without even breaking a sweat, almost as if nothing had even happened, Koume marched forwards and seized her broom from the ash pile. "That's what happens when you mess with a witch!" she scolded the ashes before returning. There was a great smile on her face.

"Are you alright, Koume?" Kotake asked.

"Ah, I needed a good flame, Kotake," the fire witch grinned with a sigh of relief. "Especially after that wretched imp degraded me so!" She turned to look at me. "Thank you again, young swordsman, and I repeat: drop by my kiosk as soon as you can! I'll be waiting!" Koume mounted her broom, Kotake and I on the other, and with bursts of flames (both hot and cold) we left the Woods of Mystery. Kotake and I parted ways at the Magic Potion Shop, and once again I was on my own.

-

I expected my return to the Kiosk (for of course, where else was I to go?) to be an uneventful one. Even the rain had finally let up, and in the ever darker swamp it seemed that everything was getting ready to sleep; the only sounds in the whole forest were the sounds of rain dripping from leaves. But one creature continued to stir, and it made its presence known to me almost as soon as I crossed the old, crumbled wall. The creature swung down from the canopy on a vine. Its hand-like feet hit the damp ground no more than a foot away from my boots, but there was something about it that kept me from drawing my sword. Though it was covered in hair from head to ankle, there was something about my visitor that was distinctly familiar—somehow, I knew that we were connected, though to what extent I could not fathom.

The beast before me was slightly less than a man; he was no taller than I, but was shaped almost exactly the same, were it not for his prehensile feet, tail, and all the white fur covering him. The clothes he bore were fit for the Hylian Monarchy; that fact alone was enough for me to recognize his presence wasn't a hostile one. My visitor wore a white tunic with mint green and lavender robes over it. His hat was one of the three-cornered ones that were growing popular in Hyrule, though it was smaller and green. When he spoke, his voice sounded like mine to the very note, though just a bit more Zora-like in pompousness. "Greetings," he bowed, rather flamboyantly. "I am Regus, Crown Prince of the Monkeys. How do you do?"

I nodded slightly in respect. "I'm a little flustered, and very rushed, but it is an honor, your majesty."

"I see! Well then, let us skip the formalities and get straight to the negotiations. You, sir, are just the sort of person we have been looking for!" I was a bit taken off guard by the statement. I mean, we had just met! "We've been watching you since you stepped into our garden; we saw how eager you were to help the old witch from the Hairless-Ones' hut. And from the look of your gear, the scrutiny of your eyes, I'd wager you've seen battle before, hm?"

I nodded. "Seven years of it," I confirmed. I'd grown up, in fact. My small, time-corrected stature may not have looked like it, but my mind was as keen as any adult knight, possibly even sharper.

"Perfect!" the prince clapped, looking very satisfied. "In that case, all you need to do is sign the paperwork!"

"What paperwork?" I inquired rather confusedly.

"Oh, didn't I mention? As the leader of the Monkey Empire, I'd like to recruit you as one of our captains! We're running a bit short; the enemy has a lot more guns, so somebody with your experience would be greatly appreciated. You can start immediately, if you'd like."

I shook my head resolutely. "Whoa, there, your highness. I'm honored, but I just can't accept."

"You don't have to be modest. We know you've got great potential!"

"No, you don't understand. I don't want to be a pawn in your war, your highness. Have you ever been on the battlefield yourself, sir? It's worse than any story makes it seem." I remembered the battle I had at the mouth of Dodongo's Cavern. The Gorons had recruited me as a sort of special soldier, and it was a nightmare leading those mountain people into battle with Ganon's Lizfols. Everything turned out okay—everything always did before I met Princess Ruto (with the exception of the Deku Tree's death)—but the experience stuck, and my later battles with Gerudo and Stalfos didn't help. During the whole campaign, I felt like I was fighting non-stop. Majora was a mental adversary, not a war-mongering one, and I wanted to keep it that way. I would not be drawn into a war again. "I thank you for your offer, but my answer is no." I bowed. "Have a good evening." The monkey was speechless, so seeing as he wasn't going to answer I just walked around him and continued on my way.

I was maybe halfway to the Kiosk when I heard him calling after me. "Please?" He must have been following me. "We need somebody like you! I don't know what you were involved in before, but... This is different!"

"No," I stated, not turning around or stopping.

"But... Look, if you haven't noticed already, you and I are a lot alike; it should only be natural for you to side with our species, if not just as a gesture of neighborly kindness. I mean... If you didn't notice already, those heathens in the Deku Kingdom have declared war on my people! If you turn your back on us, doesn't that make you as bad as them?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I'm done fighting for sides. I'm busy with another mission anyway."

"Well... If not that, then..." He gasped for breath. "Look, would you at least listen to me?" I sighed with frustration, but complied to his royal request. I turned around just in time to see him jogging towards me. Once he was near, he stopped to catch his breath for a moment before speaking. "Okay, so you won't join us. But I simply _must_ have your help! It's gravely important." He was beginning to be annoying. I stamped my foot in protest. I was losing time; the first day was already almost over. "Look, I know you want to have nothing to do with me, but let me plea my case in the event that I am mistaken."

I groaned. Unfortunately for me, though, I was a hero, and heroes had to give everybody their ear. "Fine."

"I thank you, brave swordsman, for listening." He cleared his throat, tidied the hair on his face, and then set his fore-hands behind his back, in a very knowledgeable manner. "Do you know why we are in this war?" he asked, his composure fully and completely restored. I was in the presence of a monarch once more. I answered his question with the shake of my head; to tell the truth, I hadn't even considered it. "It is because those Deku don't know their place, and feel that they can take a trivial matter as an excuse to increase their size of the playing field. Harumph! The outrage!"

I nodded impatiently.

"But that 'trivial matter,' as it happens, is a dire matter for the Monkey Empire. My younger brother, Link, was spotted a few days ago in the presence of Princess Anastasia of the Deku Kingdom. The next day she went missing, and that brainless Deku King though the only logical conclusion was that our empire was responsible. He pointed his wooden finger and blamed my brother for the crime!" Regus made a hand into a fist and pounded it into the palm of the other. "As if taking him prisoner in the middle of the night wasn't enough, he declared war on us until we give up his daughter—who we don't have, of course, nor do we have the slightest notion as to where she is. And that is where you come in." I nodded. "If you will not serve my people in the army, I implore you to find my brother. He means more to me than anybody else in the world, and I am sure he is innocent of his charges. Do you know what they plan to do to him? If the Princess doesn't turn up soon, he will become their next sacrifice!"

I considered the task. "Do you know where your brother is being held?"

"His very prison cell number. We'd have gotten him back already, except the stronghold is just too well-defended to risk an attack. Link is being held inside the very capital of the Deku Kingdom: the Deku Palace, just on the other side of Mt. Woodfall. I'm sure the boats in the Hairless-Ones' hut would get you close."

This sounded a lot better. The Deku Palace sounded like just the place I should be headed, and now I had a reason to go there, despite the war zone regulations. And besides—I couldn't pass up a chance to meet a prince with the same name as me. "Alright, I accept," I decided. "But I'm not going to fight a war for you, Prince Regus."

"You needn't do so. I have the answer I wanted now. Brave swordsman—as the eldest in the royal family, I officially request that you serve the Monkey Empire and bring Link back from the Deku before they do irreversible damage. Good luck, and may the will of the Giants be with you."

With that, the prince and I parted ways, I back to the Kiosk and he back in the direction of the vale.

-

Night had replaced the day by the time I had returned to the Tour Kiosk. With virtually no lights whatsoever, the swamp was in total darkness. A thick mist had summoned itself above the water, giving the near-silent waters a touch of the mysterious. "Are you sure you want to go there?" Koume asked before letting me on board a small canoe. "The Deku Marshes have been off-limits to our boats for years. I can only take you to the outskirts—no more."

I nodded. "I have no choice," I whispered.

"Very well, then," the fire witch sighed. "Climb aboard. We sail to Woodfall!" The sky rumbled overhead. A storm was approaching.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** Well, how about it? Still awake? I found that this part flows a bit odd, jumping from one mood to the next with very little warning, but see what you think. I wouldn't be lying if I said I was relieved and happy that this part is over with, so when I finally finished writing it I decided not to go back and fix that.

The most common question asked by readers of Part I was how the modernization would play out. I'd like to get feedback on that in particular (Part III, as you shall find out, takes things a step further, so feedback is important), amongst other things.

Thank you very much for reading this monster (I know it has been a long wait). Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. The Bomb

**A Note from the Author:** _Finally_, right? Once again, I apologize for the long wait time. The next story, Cold Heart, will in no way be as long as the last two parts in this story, I assure you. That, in turn, should assure shorter waiting periods.

Anyway, there's a lot to absorb in this final part to the opener of _Shadow Apocalypse_. There are really good parts, and really weak parts. I'll leave it up to you as a reader to decide which is which. Inspiration for segments in this chapter came from _Tomb Raider: Underworld_, _Assassin's Creed II_, _Star Fox Adventures_, _Ponyo_, and the 2009 movie _Sherlock Holmes_.

Enjoy Part III, please don't be mad it took so long, and be sure to write a review when you are finished! I'd really appreciate it!

* * *

**Part III ~ The Bomb**

I would be lying if I said there was any remote sign of happiness in the Deku Marshlands. The dark bayou was of the darkest shades of blue and green, and a light rain fell through tall, crooked trees as if they were non-existent. The trees, bent in all sorts of shapes, were crippled sentinels guarding the waterways, staring with hollowed eyes at the small canoe as oar after oar sent us closer to the kingdom of the Deku. The gap in the trees caused by the river revealed black, swirling clouds that seemed more than just water—they were all different elements, from smoke to water to something I couldn't quite describe. Through their ominous veil, I could see the moon's haunting glow, eclipsed only by a rather large mountain to my right.

"That's Woodfall," Koume explained quietly. "The Black Cauldron of the South, it's called. Nobody's ever been at the summit in years, ever since the Deku abandoned their temple at the top. Some say it is impossible to even pass through the clouds. The swamp at Woodfall hasn't seen the light of day for a long time, thanks to those clouds."

My eye twitched as I continued to take in the peculiar fuchsia glow of the moon. It was both a pale yellow and a sunset-like purple at the same time, yet never a mixture of the two; perhaps its appearance, too, was cursed by the Skull Kid. It was an unpleasant reminder that I was running out of time.

Slowly but steadily, the canoe came to a soft, rippling stop along a silent dock on the shore opposite of Mt. Woodfall. Not too far from the landing was a cylindrical hut, black and empty. Thunder rolled in the sky, predicting the oncoming of harder rain. A crooked, tacked up wooden sign to the hut's side read, "TERMANIAN EMBASSY: ALL VISITORS TO THE DEKU KINGDOM MUST CHECK IN BEFORE ENTERING."

I looked at the witch tying the boat to the dock questioningly. "It's no use trying to check in," she grumbled lowly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"See for yourself," she answered darkly. "But you might not like what you find."

I nodded, obligingly stepping onto the soft ground, and peeked nervously through the open door and into the embassy. Through the limited light of the moon I could see many dusty pieces of furniture, untouched for the longest time, it seemed, based on the large amounts of spider webs glinting in the light. The embassy seemed to be abandoned; I saw no sign of a living soul in any corner of the office. As my eyes turned to a dark alcove shielded from the light, however, I felt my hair stand on end. Something was there, I could feel it. Something that did not want to be found.

Creeping towards the darkness, I began to hear scratching sounds of shuffling, and a sharp intake of air that was gargled and unnatural. As I stepped into the shadows and my eyes adjusted further, I could make out something or somebody at the far end of what I now realized to be a hallway. Very faintly, I could hear a multitude of clicks, whispers, and squirms, as if the room beyond was, in the darkness, infested with swarms of cockroaches or something just as repulsive. Pushing a small bureau out of the way to let a sliver of light in, I caught a quick glimpse of some sort of thing. There was the face of a man, startled by the sudden light, and I could see every inch of fear in his eyes as they connected for the briefest of moments with mine. Then the head fell back, revealing the beady, glimmering red eyes of a spider's head, blinking at me in a mixture of confusion and terror. Then I saw the most disturbing body I ever could have imagined and nearly threw up with disgust. I scrambled out of the Embassy as fast as I could and back into the rainy shade of the swamp.

"What _was_ that?" I panted, shuddering and nervously glancing back. Whatever I had seen, it was gone.

"There are some things that even magic cannot cure," Koume answered softly. There was a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Stepping back out onto the dock, I was able to get a good look at Mt. Woodfall, whose base was just barely visible through an entanglement of vines and fungi. "You know, I remember seeing a mountain like that," I noted, peering up towards the dark, swirling clouds. "A volcano, back home. It was formidable and dangerous, but even in its darkest hour a whole civilization survived at the top. Perhaps Woodfall is no different."

"I assure you, child, nothing can live atop Woodfall. Not even the gods dare to touch it. But Mt. Woodfall isn't your destination, I hope?"

I shook my head. "From everything I've heard and seen, I wouldn't dare set foot on it. I would like to find the Deku Palace, if you would be so kind as to show me where it is."

Koume rose an arm slowly and pointed a bony, crooked finger downstream. Through the mist, I could just barely make out the foreboding shadows of a wall rising until it was just above the treetops. "The Deku Palace lurks beyond those walls. I do not understand how you plan on entering when you are not a Deku Scrub, but that is no business of mine."

"I'm sure I'll manage," I smiled.

"Good luck with that," Koume sighed, wobbling back towards her canoe. "The Deku Kingdom is no place for outsiders—be careful for as long as you exist on the other side of that gatehouse. I thank you for helping me in the forest; but my assistance ends here. If you have further need of me," she grunted as she pulled her second leg over the sides of the boat, "don't hesitate to visit the Tour Kiosk at any time."

As I continued to look on towards the kingdom of the Deku, thunder boomed loudly somewhere nearby. "That's strange," I remarked, "there wasn't even any lightning."

"That wasn't thunder," the witch warned. "That was an air raid."

-

About halfway along the river bend, when I was sure Koume was out of sight, I decided it was time. Hesitantly, I lifted the Deku Mask to my face. This was the only way I'd get into the palace; but would I be able to change back? I'd never done this before. It was...scary, in the least. If I became stuck as a Deku again, I doubted I'd be able to convince the Happy Mask Salesman to save me without that mask he so wanted.

I cannot recall how many minutes it took before I could muscle up the courage to slide the mask over my face. It was surprisingly comfortable, and fit perfectly with every shape and bump on my head. For a moment, I couldn't see a thing. Then, I felt a dull pain as my internal organs all seemed to squeeze together, pushing themselves into a tighter and tighter space, and taking the rest of my body with them. I touched the skin on my arm, and to my amazement found it harder than usual; within seconds, pushing it again returned a sensation not unlike pressing a finger against a table surface. I felt my lips being sucked gently into the funnel on the mask, and when I tested them I found that no matter how hard I tried I could not close them. Feeling around with my shrinking tongue, I discovered my teeth had simply vanished. Probably strangest of all was when I felt my hair become suddenly very sensitive to my environment, almost as much as my fingers, which in turn then became less in tune to the world around me. My hair folicles sprouted tiny branches, and a sort of webbing locked them all into place—based on what I had seen before, I knew my hair had become a pile of leaves. I hardly noticed when my shirt vanished and my chest became bare, but feeling it I could tell it too was quickly turning into wood. My toes all seemed to fuse together, melding into the shape of the inside of my boots so that they were more comfortable. At last, at the very end of what surely was really only half a minute (though it felt so much longer), I saw a sudden bright flash of red in front of my eyes, which gradually faded into a dim orange light and I could see the world around me once again. I hadn't realized how much of a different glowing eyes made until then—I could see much better in the darkness, and nearly jumped at all the figures I could now make out in the forest. The black, blurry wall of plants along the river was now a clear-cut forest, albeit with mist still clinging to its low branches.

After my sight returned and the change seemed to end, I took a moment to get my bearings. In a quick moment, my weight, size, and sense of balance had all shifted, and it was preposterous to believe I could just scurry about without getting control again.

Once that was over, though, a quick peek in the water proved to me that I was completely identical to how I had looked upon entering Termina—a Deku Scrub, albeit with arms, shorts, boots, and a hat. It was time to enter my people's kingdom.

-

I stood awkwardly before the outer walls of the mighty Deku Palace, which I couldn't even catch a glimpse of above the tall, wooden walls. In the distance, I could hear the thumps of an army marching to battle. Termina was an unbelievably depressing place, I realized. Warped and demented, but to such a realistic degree, it was like some place out of a tragic novel. A dark, rainy swamp, rumbling with the sounds of war, with only three days to exist before an apocalypse that nobody expected... Standing with the waters of the humid swamp behind me, I found myself wondering if the Happy Mask Salesman was right about Termina. Maybe it _shouldn't_ exist.

Now wasn't the time for remorse. I took a deep breath through my single snout, puffed my tiny chest out, and marched towards the gatehouse. I myself felt almost like a soldier, albeit for the opposing side, and couldn't help but remember how it felt approaching the Gerudo Fortress, knowing that I was entering enemy lines. Hopefully, though, this time I wouldn't be considered an enemy.

"Halt!" ordered a Deku Scrub, barely an inch taller than myself, as I got closer to the portcullis. I did as I was told. The Deku marched up and began scrutinizing my every detail. I hoped he couldn't see me trembling. "That's strange," he muttered. "You don't look like most Deku." He glared at me with suspicion. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"N-No," I stuttered. "I'm from outside the country."

"A foreigner? From Koholint, perhaps? Do they even have Dekus there?"

No clue. "Y-Yes, loads!"

The Deku blinked, surprised at his mistake. It was bothersome that I could tell his emotion not by facial expressions, but by the subtle motion of his leaves. If anything, this adventure was educating me a lot about how Deku society works. "Hmm... State your business, outsider," the guard demanded.

I thought fast. "W-Well, I _am_ visiting the country. I felt it necessary to pay the mighty king a visit while I'm here. It wouldn't be respectful if I didn't."

"You picked a bad time to visit," the Deku grumbled. "But I suppose it can't be helped. If you wish to see his majesty, just follow the road you are on to the Ceremonial Quarter." Before I could move two steps, he quickly added, "But don't even _think_ of going anywhere else! Non-citizens are not permitted to wander as they please!"

"Don't worry," I reassured him, "I won't wander."

-

The Deku Palace was more of a miniature city than a palace. It didn't have the aspects a city normally would, like shops and houses, but a quick glance at a map on a sign told me that the area inside the outer walls was split into multiple buildings, grouped into things called "quarters." There was a Dining Quarter, a Studies Quarter, an Athletics Quarter, a Research Quarter... But just as the guard said, I just had to keep going forward to reach the Ceremonial Quarter.

There was some odd, detached charm to the dreary place. In the fading darkness, the onset of grey (Day Two, here we come), and the light rain, I couldn't help but smile (I began to figure out that though mentally I moved my lip muscles, the smile was shown in a shift of the leaves on my head) at the sight of Deku scholars walking in groups from one quarter to another, oblivious to the weather and much more interested in their business. In fact, the rain actually felt _soothing_, as if I were somehow revitalized by it.

The haunting atmosphere was reinforced by the giant moon, which hung on the horizon waiting for the sun to rise. Its glow broke through the grey clouds, leaving the image of a bright yellow semicircle cutting through the sky. Soon I'd only have 48 hours left to find the giant. I'd have to hurry.

I noticed a pair of guards standing near a bench, eying me suspiciously. One began to walk forward. Not wanting a confrontation with any guards this morning, I opted to quickly hustle away. As I did, I wondered why the guard had even moved at all. Come to think of it, a lot of the guards looked at me in a peculiar way, until I was sure I didn't want to be in their presence at all. This was difficult to do, though, because there was a soldier at every corner. The palace was, after all, in a war zone.

The Ceremonial Quarter was pretty much a ring of stylish-looking buildings surrounding a depression in the ground, the center of which was occupied by a small pond. My little boots sounded strange tapping against the cobblestone pathway following the buildings around the quarter, as I searched for whatever building the king was supposed to be in. Minus the guards, I couldn't help but remark that the kingdom's status as being in wartime was hardly evident inside the outer walls. Everywhere I went, I passed groups of young adult Deku socializing and laughing as they went from one of the buildings and out of the quarter. Naturally, Deku were everywhere—I had never seen so many in one place in my life! That was a stroke of luck, though, because as it turned out I was unable to figure out where the king was. In the end, I had to flag one of the adults down (which wasn't overly hard, considering the strange looks I was getting wherever I went) and ask where to go. She was able to direct me to a very grim-sounding building called the Sacrificial Hall. It sat right against the tower I saw from outside the walls.

I hurried to the hall as fast as I could go without running, but with a sudden lurch I slipped on a puddle and fell face-first onto the cobblestone. It didn't hurt—I wasn't heavy, and my body surface was hard and durable—but I laid there on the pavement for a long moment anyway. I heard many footsteps, walking around me as if I didn't matter. The Deku were so consumed by their business, they had no eyes for sympathy.

Slowly, I got to my feet and wiped the pieces of grass and dirt off my chest. Peeking back at the puddle, I saw my reflection. I couldn't help but stare at it before continuing. I wasn't the least bit familiar; the body my mind controlled was not the same body I controlled. If this was how I was to travel—in a body that wasn't my own—how convincing would I have to be? All I knew of Deku culture was what I had learned in the Kokiri Forest... Suddenly, memories that hadn't existed before spiraled into my mind. Memories of the future. The Business Scrub in Clock Town had taught me a few things, hadn't he? More than a few things. Maybe I knew what it took to be a Deku after all. I had surprised myself; in playing the Song of Time, I had forgotten virtually all of what had happened in the days I lost.

-

The moment I crossed through the doors of the Sacrificial Hall, the world suddenly became overpopulated with shouts, angry screams, cussing, big words, heavy accents, and lots and lots of old Deku people in an incredibly dense crowd. It was a big change from the rather sophisticated appearance of the Dekus outside. These Deku were out of control, if they weren't just senile.

High above the crowd was a balcony looking out onto the room. Standing on it was the biggest Deku I had ever laid eyes upon, with a Hylian-sized Deku to his side. Though the shorter Deku was relatively calm, the bigger one was worse than the crowd, screaming unintelligible words in rage, cheered on by the crowd whether they could understand or not. As if any more emphasis could be put on it, let me add that Deku, as I found out now being able to speak and understand their language, normally speak _twice_ as fast as Hylians and Termanians do, and had such a grammar that these fiery outbursts made no sense until they ended.

I pushed my way through the crowd, trying my best to get a closer look at the imposing figure atop the balcony. He spoke with the heaviest of any Deku accent, and his incredible leaf-mustache stretched out on either side of his snout and curled flamboyantly. Above the Deku's head was an enormous bulb wrapped in vines and leaves. In the hands of the Deku was a long scepter, a Deku Nut nestled on top as an ornament. If there was ever a Deku King, this man was surely him. The only question was how I was supposed to speak with him. From all the noise, I wouldn't even be heard if I screamed.

It wasn't too hard to gather at least some of what I needed to learn, though. The situation was obviously very grave indeed for the monkey. Every scream, every shout, every swear, was directed at the monkey, though the prince's brother was nowhere to be seen in the room. The king's attacks were the worst, and they served nothing other than to enrage the crowd even more. These Deku were mad; how I was supposed to free the monkey was a fleeting answer. I could tell, though, that it was imperative that I speak with the king.

Hoping to escape the mob, I slipped through a door resting inconspicuously against a wall. I found myself in a long, flamboyant hallway, albeit surprisingly silent despite the noise pollution in the room I was just in. A sign against the wall to my right informed me that the entrance to the actual Deku Palace was just down the hall, and so I began my journey down it. To my left and right were grand oil paintings depicting what I assumed were past rulers of the Deku Kingdom. I sneaked a peek at each one as I passed by, mentally taken aback by their artistic scrutiny. It was as if they were actually real images; I honestly felt by the time I reached the more recent ones that I was looking at frozen images of reality, instead of paintings. I couldn't even see any brushstrokes.

Turning a corner, I immediately saw a desk with a secretary working busily on some sort of vanilla-colored box with light coming out of one side. "Hello?" I requested. "May I ask a question?"

The Deku eyed me with a touch of surprise. "And what's a young boy such as yourself doing all by himself so late into the night? Where are your parents?"

"Um..." I thought fast. "Just back at the other end of the hall."

"Ah... I see. And what can I do for you, young comrade?"

"I was wondering if I could be directed to the Deku King's chambers, please?"

The Deku practically laughed me away. "And to what end to you expect me to grant you access?"

"I'm...doing research for school," I lied.

The Deku beamed down at me, obviously joyful of his exercise of power. "I'm sorry, boy, but the Royal Chambers are _off-limits_. Now, if you'd excuse me, we are closing for the evening. You can go now."

I shrugged and left. As soon as I was out of sight, though, I darted behind a pillar and waited.

A Deku had been behind me. Now he was speaking with the secretary, and I wanted to hear what business they were talking about.

"...not working?" the secretary repeated. "What do you mean it's not working?"

"There isn't much we can do," the unknown Deku sighed. "Most of my men have fled the country already. Have you seen the size of the moon?"

"I don't want excuses!" the secretary snapped. "I want results! Now get back there and fix that elevator!"

"I'm trying to tell you, it can't be fixed! Some nutcase tried to tamper with it, and he did it good. It won't be fully in operation until December, at the earliest."

"_December_!? Praise the King, are you _insane_? Without that elevator, his majesty won't have an escape route if he is attacked up there! Do you want him to _die_!?"

"Be quiet and listen! It works, okay? It just doesn't work well. We've got it so that it functions, the ride is just a bit bumpy. And on top of that, you can tell it where to go. That's two months-worth of work, crammed into a week; you should be kissing _my_ leaves, not the other way around!"

I snuck a glance to my right. There was a narrow hallway going down that direction, and though I didn't know what an elevator was, it certainly sounded like it was my ticket into getting an audience with the king. Something was under construction in the middle of the hall—whatever it was, I was sure it was called an "elevator."

"Well, how do you work that hunk of junk, then?" the secretary demanded.

"It's easy. You just connect the ends of the wires. What could be more simple than that?"

"His majesty cannot connect wires! That is the duty of petty laborers, such as yourself!"

I left the two to their bickering and crept down the hallway. A large rectangle, about the size of a door, was cut out from one of the walls. Inside it was a small closet, shaped perfectly like a box. One of its sides was missing part of the wall, and through it stuck many thin, multi-colored vines. "Those must be the wires," I hummed quietly. Peering around in case anybody saw me, I silently crept into the elevator, picked up two wire ends, and pressed them together.

The box suddenly belted upwards, and I gasped as the small room became sealed. The whole chamber seemed to shake and wobble, and I felt a sensation similar to the feeling I had when Kotake rose on her broomstick. It was over as soon as it began, though, and I was quickly greeted by a new hall—or rather, I was looking directly down one.

A dark shadow crept across the red carpet on the floor, and at its reins was a man more frightening than a thousand ReDead. The second I saw him, I darted behind a pillar and cautiously peeked my head around to get a quick glance before hiding again. The mere sight of the Deku King walking towards me made me lose all hope of diplomacy; a giant among Deku, thundering down the hall with only two advisers at his sides to keep his temper down. The monarch's wooden face was almost red with fury, and for the briefest of moments I was reminded of King Zora's face seconds before his demise. The Deku King possessed that same unbelievable degree of hatred that the lord of Zoras took to his grave.

"Filthy monkeys!" the king roared. "They shall _all_ die for this outrage!"

The man on the king's left was slim, long-legged, and shorter than his majesty, though still large for a Deku. He was bare wood, with the exception of balls of leaves to either side of his head and a small, slick mustache on his nozzle. A bow-tie rested upon his exposed chest. I recognized him almost instantly from the Sacrificial Hall; he had been standing by the king as the sovereign made his speech. Though calm and collected then, he was no less animated than the Deku King now—this, however, was a different sort of panic: he was undergoing the great challenge of calming down his majesty. I sympathized for him; it wasn't unlike my futile attempts to calm King Zora.

"Your majesty," the Deku pleaded, "I'm sure if we'd only calm down and speak diplomatically, the monkey would be _more_ than willing to tell us where she is. I don't see why we must slaughter _everybody_! Just spare the poor boy; I've met with him before, he really is quite reasonable—"

"Listen to him, your majesty!" the other Deku interrupted, rather smugly. "He's been speaking with the enemy! That's treason, if I'm not mistaken."

"Shut up!" the first Deku snapped angrily. "At least _I'm_ trying to stop this insanity!"

"_I'll_ tell you what will stop this: bomb them! They will be kaput!"

"Silence, both of you!" the Deku King fumed. His order echoed over and over again through the hall, and I trembled in the sudden quiet. Nobody spoke, out of fear that whoever made a sound would lose their head. "Wadsworth," the king growled painfully. "I _know_ where my daughter is! He told me the minute I held his hairy neck with my own hands. She's up in Woodfall!" The silence only seemed to deepen. From what I could hear, everybody was shaken.

"W-Woodfall, your majesty?" Wadsworth (apparently the name of the Deku on the king's left) gulped uncomfortably. "By... By the gods..."

There was a loud sound, like the tip of a scepter being slammed onto the floor. "Of all the places in my kingdom," the King repeated, "my dear Anastasia's in Woodfall. The _one place_ where we can't even touch her." Peeking out from behind the pillar, I saw that the king had fallen into a solemn, lumbering gait. He was in a sort of rage that can exist only if one was dangerously close to giving up all hope; the sort of desperation that exists only because one needs it to continue to survive. "That, Wadsworth," he stated lowly, "is why the Monkey Empire must be punished."

Wadsworth looked like he was picking for straws. "Sire, the courts will never stand for this!" he asserted. "We're already being attacked by the Four World Council in Clock Town for this war; there are whispers of a trade embargo if we don't stop—"

"I don't _care_ what those idiots up north think!" the Deku King snapped. "We Deku have been around for centuries longer than those crack-pots, and they think that, just because they threaten to stop trading with us, I'll give up on my daughter? To heck with Dotour and the rest of them! _I will win this war_!"

"_But you won't even talk to the prince!_" Wadsworth blurted out in desperation. "You don't even know they actually took her! Your majesty, you could be sentencing an innocent nation to its death, don't you realize that!? All of Termina is at crisis right now; we need peace, not a bloody _war_!" The Deku was practically in tears, and bowed as low as he could. "Your majesty, I implore you, stop this before it is too late! Whatever you do, you mustn't allow this to happen!"

"Wadsworth..." the king mumbled, approaching the kneeling Deku.

Before they could connect, the other Deku stepped in-between them, cutting the king off from Wadsworth. He was the shortest of them all, the right size for a Deku, without any arms to speak of. Eyes blanketed by a gown of leaves comparable to a weeping willow, his dark face seemed snide and crude. His voice had an unbelievably heavy accent. "No, your majesty, _I_ implore you," he interjected in a dry voice. "Have I not told you before? _Don't_ listen to the butler." Wadsworth, upon hearing this, began to sob. So he wasn't an adviser—he was just the humble butler. "Don't forget," the second Deku continued, "he used to work as an ambassador; his loyalties are not to you, your highness, but to our international relations. Now, if you'd come with me, we can discuss what we were _before_ this sniveling whiner interrupted us. _I_ have a solution that fits much better with your plans."

The king gave one last look at the butler, crying on the floor, but then turned away from Wadsworth and continued walking with the other Deku. "As your Military Adviser," the second Deku explained, "_I_ should be the one to tell you when peace is an option or not, and I can tell you that the moment you let those monkeys go they shall take our noble kingdom for themselves." The king nodded in agreement. "There's only one way to make sure they don't bother our nation ever again. My military scientists have created a weapon so powerful, it can wipe out all your enemies with the push of a button." The king nodded again, clearly open to the idea.

"Please, your majesty," Wadsworth begged, rising slowly behind them. "Don't listen to his lies..." But the butler was ignored.

"Tell me more about this weapon," the Deku King requested, scratching his nozzle.

"As capital punishment to those repulsive simians," the adviser explained, "let me recommend our new weapon that our scientists have just declared operational: the 'atom bomb.' All you have to do is push a button, and in a big blast the monkeys shall be forever exterminated. It is ready now—all we need is your confirmation." The Adviser leaned closer towards the king. "I must add, though, that our time is short. It is only a matter of time before spies (he sneaked a glance back at the butler as he said this) steal this technology. We must act fast and destroy the monkeys before they can claim nuclear weaponry above our's."

Before the king could respond, Wadsworth thrust himself forward and shoved the adviser to the floor. "Your Highness," he demanded, almost shaking, "you mustn't, under any cirsumstance, drop that bomb!" Every word quivered on the edge of desperation. I hid back behind the pillar. "That would be enough of an excuse," he asserted, "for all of Termina to—"

"I've had enough of this Termina garbage, Wadsworth!" the king interrupted. "Until you can come up with a better idea, I think I'm going to give this bomb some consideration. Now, if you'll excuse me, my adviser and I have important matters to discuss."

"Indeed we do, your majesty," the Military Adviser chimed.

Wadsworth was speechless, and quickly abandoned by the King and Adviser as they left down a separate hallway. "My dear King Sibiersky," he whispered sorrowfully, "what has happened to you?"

A thought crossed my mind. The king seemed completely inaccessible—but what if I talked to the butler? It seemed he and I were on the same level—we both wanted the monkey freed. I slipped out from behind the pillar. The butler was staring out of a window, tears trickling down his luminescent eyes. "E-Excuse me?" I coughed.

The butler turned around with surprise. "How did a child such as yourself get here? Out, out!" he shooed.

I held my hands up. "Wait, I'm not who I appear to be! I only want to talk! It's... It's about the monkey prince!"

Wadsworth faltered, but then quickly tidied up his leaves and stood up straight, chest puffed out. "Well? What do you need to know?"

"I'd like to know where the monkey is. I'd like to have a word with him." At this, the butler eyed me warily. "I'm not a traitor or anything! Just..." I took a deep breath. "I'm looking for something. Something important. And I think the monkey knows where it is."

"You're here to free the monkey, aren't you?" the butler whispered sternly, more of a statement than a question. Dang, that was fast. "I can't let you do that." I was about to get the heck out of there, but he added something to his last sentence. "...unless, of course, you do something for me."

I froze. "And...what would that be?"

Wadsworth approached me. "I fear that something very wrong is happening in our kingdom. The princess was just the beginning—I fear the worst has yet to happen. I fear that the fate of our swamp lies in the king's decision on how to deal with the monkey empire, and his military adviser seems to think similarly. I don't know why, but his adviser has been behaving differently of late; it is as if he schemes to help bring the end of the swamp!"

I didn't respond.

"I don't trust him at all, and it concerns me that he has been so close to the king lately." The butler rested a hand on my shoulder. "Lad, I feel that the only way to stop it from happening is if somebody can get Princess Anastasia back." I nodded. "I will only help you free the monkey if you do this for me, for your people: get our princess back."

Great, another princess to rescue. With any luck, Anastasia wouldn't be as much of a brat as Zelda or Ruto. But I was a hero—the Hero of Time, at that—and I had no choice but to comply. "I promise you," I told him, "help me free the monkey, and I will find you your girl."

The butler bowed. "I thank you greatly."

-

Wadsworth told me what the plan would be. He would secretly authorize the release of Link the Monkey, but I would have to get the prince out myself. As it turned out, I was now inside the royal palace, so the only way to slip past the guards would be via the catwalks and balconies along the exterior wall. The butler helped me slip through a window and onto a veranda and pointed out a Deku Flower. "Slip into one of these, and it will launch you into the heavens. The monkey is at the top of the palace. Be careful, and you should be there in no time."

And so I found myself back in the rain, left alone by Wadsworth. The wind was stronger where I was, high above the ground (perhaps five or six stories?). It whipped at my hat, and I was a bit worried that it would blow me away—I was, after all, a small wooden boy. From the balcony, I could see many tall, thin shadows in the distance—three, in fact, and from their locations I assumed there was a fourth on the other side of the palace. I recognized them immediately: guard towers, rising from the trees and looking out over their canopies with sentinel-like foreboding. Whether or not they saw me now, I was sure they'd notice my ascent sometime soon. I had to be quick.

I eyed a green-and-purple flower resting in a large urn on the wooden platform. The flower was bigger than _I_ was. Taking a deep breath and trusting the butler, I jumped feet first into the big maw the flower had for a bud.

Everything went dark. Strange, delicate feelers probed my body inside the flower. Then, all of the sudden, the thing came to life and spit me out. The force of my propulsion was so powerful, though, that I was sent multiple stories into the air, and landed rather flustered on a balcony to my direct left. "Always learn something new," I huffed.

The balcony, as it turned out, had a bit of a narrow ledge on the other side. Gulping, promising myself not to look down, I squeezed my entire body against the wall and started sidling across. Crossing the ledge and making my way up a catwalk, I happened by an open window. Normally I would have cared less, but the adviser, of all people, was inside, speaking to a guard. The guard seemed to be high-ranking, and I decided to sneak a quick listen.

"...button. Once that is done, I want you to gather your men and take out the other guards. I want nobody keeping me away from the king, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the guard nodded.

"Excellent... It is only a matter of time, now."

"How did you ever get the king to agree?"

"Simple: I lied. He thinks the Woods of Mystery will be the only place damaged. He doesn't realize the bomb will blow up the entire _swamp_! The bomb is far more powerful than he realizes, Vladmir."

"When will it be ready?"

"Well, that's the problem, now isn't it? It won't be ready to leave the temple until tomorrow. We'll just have to keep that butler away from Woodfall until then."

I still didn't understand how an "atom" bomb was different from an ordinary bomb, but from what it sounded like my window of opportunity to find the princess _and_ the giant had just shrunk to only a few hours!

I peeked up from the railing of the catwalk. The adviser was looking out of the window (thank goodness he didn't see me). He was wearing a strange sort of mask, a wooden mask that looked like the face of an angry warrior. "It is only a matter of time, Vladmir, until the Woodfall giant is gone for good."

That was exactly what I wanted to hear—finally, I had a lead on where the giant was. It seemed that all the answers—the bomb, the princess, and the giant—lay somewhere on Mt. Woodfall. But I had very little time left. Sticking to the railing, I scurried past the window and continued my way up the palace's outer wall.

-

On the roof of the green palace was, to my surprise, a golden cage. Inside it was an even greater surprise: a boy who looked exactly like I did as a Hylian. "Hello?" I stammered.

The boy nearly jumped, and probably would have if he hadn't been caged in. "Huh? A Deku?" He bared his teeth. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Calm down!" I waved. "I'm here to get you out of here."

"Easier said than done," the boy grumbled. I was surprised he was who I was rescuing—I had expected...well, a _monkey_. "There is a laser grid all around my cage. That grid is controlled by the guard towers; there's no way a puny kid like you could get through without burning to death."

At this, I felt a little smug. "Well, I think 'thank you's' are in order." Mentally, I prayed to the goddesses that Wadsworth finished his part of the bargain by now. Otherwise, I was in for some warmer weather... "I just so happened to have authorized your release! All I need to do is open the cage, and you're good to go!"

The boy blinked in surprise. "Really? Wow, you've got guts... You needn't worry about opening this cage, though; I can do it myself." My eye caught a thin, white, fur-covered rope snake out between the cage bars. It was nothing less than a monkey's tail, and dangling on its tip was a keyring. "I have a knack for swiping keys," he grinned with a wink. "This isn't the first time ol' Sibiersky has locked me up. That's why they implemented a laser grid this time." The tail curled around the side of the cage, offering me the keyring. "You came to save me," the boy explained. "Have at it!"

I took a deep breath and hesitated. Did Wadsworth get the job done? I shut my eyes, held my breath, and approached. With every step I took a jump back, fearing I had been fatally burnt. But every time, I was perfectly alright, until finally I hit my forehead on the edge of the cage and opened my eyes. "Sorry about that," I muttered sheepishly, eying the boy's smug expression.

Wasting little time, I took the key he was offering me and twisted it in the keyhole. With a click, the top of the cage vanished and the rest of it sank into the roof. The boy moaned as he stretched (his limbs must have understandably been stiff after sitting in that small cage), and with a sharp breath stood up.

Now that I was able to get a good look at him, I gasped. Standing before me, almost exactly at eye-level, was somebody who, believe it or not, looked like a replica of myself. The few differences were blatant, of course, but it was as if I had looked into the mirror after being turned into something hairy. He looked just like me, but his snow-white hair covered his entire body, sans his face, ears, hands, and feet. His hands and feet were bare, but one important difference compared to mine was that his feet were almost virtually the same as his hands, with thumbs and everything. A long, curling tail wove its way out from under his clothes, which were identical to my Kokiri Tunic in every way. When he spoke, his voice sounded like mine to the very note—well, _maybe_ a little more pompous and aristocratic, but he _was_ after all a prince. "Salutations," he bowed. "I am the young Prince of the Monkey Empire; you can just call me Link, though."

"Wow," I remarked, breathless at the appearance of my mirror image.

"Is everything alright?" the monkey asked with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I shook my head and snapped out of it. "No, it's just... You look like somebody I know."

Link raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to say this, but we've never met. What's your name?"

I bowed respectfully. "You'll never believe this, your highness... But my name is Link too."

Now the _prince_ was astonished. "No, really?"

I nodded. "Really. I'm not from around here, but that's the full truth."

He whistled. "Wow, what a coincidence! But where are my manners? Link, thank you very much for rescuing me."

"It was my pleasure, your highness. But I need your help. I need to get into Woodfall."

"Then you are in luck," the prince smiled. "Woodfall is exactly where I'm headed next. The princess is still there, after all. We princes enjoy rescuing maidens from their towers, and I need to rescue mine." He motioned to me. "Come on! I know somebody who can get us to the summit! Let's get out of here, before the King finds out!"

-

Sneaking out of the palace grounds was something I had forgotten to consider, but with the prince at my side it was our only option. Even in the dying light of the giant moon, his snow-white fur stood out like a lamp, and his status made him easily recognizable even to a Deku commoner. We couldn't travel back through the palace interior—we had to scale the dark side of the castle walls, relying on its shadow to keep his majesty's hair out of sight.

The descent was far easier for him than it was for me, though; his tail was just like a fifth hand, and he could hang on to just about anything. With my puny Deku hands and digit-less feet, I had difficulty holding on to anything at all. I wasn't ready just yet to reveal my true form to the monkey prince, though. I wanted to see if I could trust him before I played my hand.

When we landed in the gardens behind the palace, Link pulled me underneath the tall swamp flowers. "Nobody but the gardeners are supposed to be back here," he whispered. "Not even a Deku like you can be seen without being arrested." We clung to the ground, inching our way across the black field towards one of the outer walls of the palace.

"How will we get over the wall without being spotted by the watch towers?" I asked quietly.

"That's the hard part," he answered anxiously. "With the war going on, these walls are being watched like a hawk. We're going to have to be very, _very_ careful." He looked deep into my eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this? You could be giving up your life forever by helping me escape. Once they see you assisting me, they won't let you safely into the kingdom ever again. Your family, everything... It will all be gone."

I shook my head. "I'm going to help you escape, your highness. It's my job."

"In that case," Link replied, "get ready to...hello, what do we have here?"

To our surprise, we stumbled right in front of a hole. "Must have been dug out by gophers," the monkey observed. "Good thing for us, because the gophers this far south are just about our size."

I gulped. "_Our_ size?"

Link nodded slowly. "_Yeah_, our size. You didn't know that?"

"Never mind."

Without another moment to lose, Link led me down the hole, which was really more of a tunnel, diving deep underneath the ground before suddenly jerking upwards and leading us to the surface.

After we surfaced, Link brushed the dirt off his fur. "Well, that was a bit messy, but we should be home free." He looked around. "And what luck! We're just where we want to be!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and made a hooting sound. He repeated it over and over, and then listened. We heard nothing.

Then, suddenly, there was a crack as something large landed on a tree branch above us. We darted our eyes up, preparing for an ambush, only to find a single large owl peering down at us.

"Hoo! You called, young prince?" the owl greeted, showing a surprising knowledge of intelligent language. His voice was deep and haunting, and echoed in the surrounding forest for the longest time. "Looks like you found a twin! What can I do for the both of you at this most earliest of hours?"

"Kaepora Gaebora, I was hoping you could do me a favor."

The owl bowed. "Of course, anything for you. You did, after all, assist me with a favor when you saved me from that wretched Korkawkaw. What is it that you need?"

"Please fly us to the summit of Mt. Woodfall. There is somebody there that we need to save."

The owl was silent for a moment. He seemed obviously nervous. "W-Woodfall, you say? Well... That might be a bit... Who is it you need to save, did you say?"

"The princess of the Deku Kingdom. We need to end this war."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Though he still seemed a bit flustered, the owl swooped down from the branch and flapped right above us, blasting a stream of humid swamp air into our eyes. "I'd love to lend my assistance in ending this war—peacefully, that is. Hop on top of my talons," he offered, "and I shall fly you both to the top!"

-

Despite dawn being just around the corner, the sky inside the dark clouds around Woodfall were as black as night. I felt very vulnerable, not being able to see the world around me, so I tried to distract my attention with some conversation. "So how did the King ever get ahold of you?" I asked my monkey companion as we both clung to the owl's talons.

"I knew you'd ask," he grinned back. "This whole thing is one big misunderstanding, you know. Ever wondered how the king knew his daughter was kidnapped, not just missing? I told him."

"And he _captured_ you?" I gawked.

"Come on, don't you know anything about your own king? He jumps to conclusions quicker than a cat pounces on a mouse! The princess and I were investigating some suspicious activity near Woodfall when a shadow reached out from the mountain and grabbed her. The first thing I did was tell her father, and he blamed _me_ for _tricking_ her into being captured!"

"Wow. Your kingdoms must really hate each other."

"It goes back into ancient history, ever since the Ikana...well, _you_ know, _you're_ a Deku! But you know what? Against all the misery, all the suspicion, I met Sibiersky's girl, the most beautiful blossom in the jungle. So something good must have come out of it, don't you think?"

I blinked. "You mean you and the princess are..."

"Yep!" I'd never seen somebody with a happier grin on their face. "We're in love!"

I didn't know what to say. I was about to protest, to try to find some way that it could be a joke, when I recalled a similar relationship, one that I almost relinquished. Instead of debating, I only sighed. "I know how you must feel," was all I would say.

Rising above the clouds, we found ourselves between two cloud layers, both of them dark and rainy. It was like stepping into a new world, a world full of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. They swirled in a circle around Woodfall's purple top, blocking off view of all that was above or below us. The only window we had into the outside world was the open sky between the clouds, which grasped the dark-orange color of dawn. "Hoo!" the owl remarked, stabilizing himself in the wind. "It is a hurricane up here, isn't it?"

Woodfall... Termina never ceased to amaze me. When we rose over the side of the extinct volcano's crater, I had wholly expected to see an ancient temple, like the many ones in Hyrule. The Woodfall Temple—and I knew it was such because it was the single building in the crater's bog—was nothing close to my schema. "Is _that_ where we're going?" I gulped. Link gave me a solemn, silent nod. The Woodfall Temple was build out of moss-covered stone as green as Mt. Woodfall itself. Rising from the antique blocks, however, were thick smokestacks spewing opaque white clouds endlessly from their tops. Large sewer pipes protruded from the temple's sides, sludge gushing out of them and into the water of the bog. The pollution's stench was strong enough to reach us from the skies, and I desperately wished I could plug my nose. Loud crashes and bangs came from the temple's open doors, as if a lot was going on inside the iron fortress (for indeed, most of the stone was shielded off by silvery metal).

"If you can believe it," Link remarked after seeing my intrigue, "the temple used to be a water purification center. It _cleaned_ the water. Not any more."

"What _is_ that stuff?" I grimaced, eying the goop with discontent. "It smells horrible!"

"Nuclear waste. It's nasty, isn't it? The Deku figured out that they could use power from the big geyser in the volcano's center to fuel the production of nuclear energy. But the byproducts of it just get dumped into the swamp. That's why the water's so poisonous." The owl dived to avoid a flock of birds. "You can bet all your bananas that the king doesn't know about this," the monkey assured.

"Then who _does_?"

"His military advisor, of course," Link hummed. "Remember Anastasia and I's little trip up Woodfall? That's how we found out he and his men turned the temple into a power plant."

I gulped and stared disapprovingly down at the pipes as they polluted Woodfall's bog. After a while, I uttered, "I still can't believe a building could be capable of such destruction to the environment."

"Believe it. Why do you think they need parks over in Clock Town? There used to be a big forest there, until the Termanian industries cut it all down. I learned in school that the forest used to be mistier than the Woods of Mystery here in the swamp. Colder too," he added, fanning himself with his foot-hand.

The owl hooted, and began to warily eye great cones of light emitting from some cylinders at the top of the temple. "Brace yourselves, young travelers," he warned, "we're beginning our descent! I can't fly any closer to the temple or I'll be spotted in their searchlights."

"Be careful when we land," the monkey cautioned me. "The waters up here are so saturated with acids and chemicals that you'd dissolve almost instantly if you fell into it. Watch your step."

I nodded. "I'll do my best."

The owl sank gently towards a small wooden platform rising from the goopy water in the crater, along the back of the temple. "Hoo, this sure is a mess," he remarked. "And to believe this was once a temple to the gods! Hmph!"

"Times change, I guess."

With esteemed grace, the owl set his talons on the tied-up logs, and we were down. "This is the altar the Deku used to pray at," Link told me. "The Princess told me only one who could play the Sonata of Awakening could awaken the temple's guardian deity to let them in. It looks like we won't be needing to do that, though." He directed my attention to a small opening in the side of the temple. "We just need a way to get into there on our own."

"Wait," I motioned. We weren't alone on the platform. In the darkness, I could see the fiery colored leaves of a Mad Scrub, approaching us with hostility. "Look out!" Link ducked just in time to avoid a Deku Nut fired our way. Before the Mad Scrub could launch another, I fired one back and hit it square in the forehead. It was knocked backwards, and with a squeak it tumbled into the water. We could hear it burn.

I clutched my head noxiously. Link looked at me with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly. I was quite shaken.

"It's a little...strange... He was one of my own kind, and I... I just _incinerated_ him."

"Hey, get used to it. I don't like it any more than you do, but these guys would do the same to you if you let them." He patted my back. "Thanks for saving me, though." We turned our attention back to the temple. "Now then, if I know your kind well enough, the princess should be in their detention center."

"Their what?"

"Their... Oh, come on, you know what a detention center is, right?" He was blatantly surprised, and even more so when I shook my head.

"Link, maybe I should tell you this, but..." I shifted uncomfortably, just as I always did when I started this story. "I'm...not from Termina. Not even from this world."

"I-Is that so?" the Monkey Prince mumbled to himself. For a moment I thought he had decided I was mad, but when he gave me another one of his smiles I was reassured of his confidence. "A boy of many mysteries. You can bet yourself I won't let you out of my presence until you tell me of how you came to get here. But the time for stories is later, and I shall save my questions as such." He patted my shoulder and pointed at a nearby Deku Flower. "Come, Link; my sweetheart awaits in the cold prison of Woodfall."

-

The Woodfall Temple, if it could be even called that, was a curious mixture of the ordinary and the strange. I could see remnants of its usage as a religious structure—paintings dedicated to a strange masked warrior, hailing him as he fought off evil demons and protected the Deku Palace from harm. But a lot of the ancient architecture was destroyed in order to set up metal platforms and what Link called "generators," powering some sort of machine that we could only guess at.

"Princess Anastasia is trapped somewhere inside this power plant," Link observed. "But I know she is not strong enough to require all this energy. I wonder if they are hiding something else here...or some_body_."

"It could be the bomb," I suggested.

"You mean the bomb those Deku bureaucrats were talking about when they came to mock me?" Link didn't seem so sure. "Whatever it is, they don't want us to find it." There was a sound somewhere in a nearby hall. "Come on," Link ordered, grabbing my arm. "Somebody's coming!"

"Where are we going?" I felt at an utter loss, still relatively new to this world, and was beginning to become frustrated at how much I had to rely on others for direction.

"Um..." Link looked for somewhere to hide. "Well..." I suppose he was at a loss too.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time. Before we could decide on anywhere to escape, our visitor came forth from the dark corridor. I wasn't sure my eyes were working correctly when I first saw it—but no matter how many times I rubbed those fluorescent orbs, the creature remained the same. It was...well, to this day I'm not sure what it was. It was so black, so absorbed with malice and wickedness, that all the light around it was sucked from our world and absorbed by the air surrounding the creature. The only color to break free was a fiery red-orange, which glittered at us like two dot-like eyes. The creature didn't make a word, but merely stared at us, just as we stared back. Nobody moved for the longest time, until finally the sun's light peeked through a window on the wall and blinded Link and I for the slightest of moments. No sooner had our eyes adjusted than the creature had vanished.

"What _was_ that?" I asked in vain.

"I... I don't know, Link. The only things I've ever seen like that, even remotely... Were the pair of black, shadowy hands that took my princess away from me." That was all the monkey boy dared utter.

"I think those hands know we're here now, Link, whoever or whatever they belong to."

The prince would not reply. He seemed to be distant, away in his own little world, as if remembering something from long ago. "I thought the Shadow left with the Ikana..." he mumbled, to nobody at all. "Why is it here? What does it want with us?"

"The Shadow?" I blinked. "What do you mean by the Shadow?"

Link looked at me with sad eyes. "I wish I could tell you, Link," he whispered hauntingly. "I wish we all could tell you. Then, maybe, you'd understand."

-

The lack of any light in the tunnels ahead of us was enough to tell me we were in for a long descent into darkness. Link was intent on avoiding any Deku guards we passed (and there were many; it was like sneaking through the Gerudo Fortress again), but after we passed a whole cluster I suggested that we pin one down and "ask" for directions.

We spotted a lone guard down near a giant wooden flower statue. "Well I'll be..." Link remarked quietly.

"What?" I whispered back.

He strained his neck to look at me in the tight air vent we were passing through. "I've seen old blueprints for that flower. This is the direct center of the mountain. The spring water rises out from around the flower's base, and then the flower spins, cleaning it before it leaves the crater."

"That's...ingenious!" I gasped. A...water cleaner? I'd never heard of anything like it!

"That's probably another reason why the swamp is so polluted now. Somebody turned the flower off—I hate to say it, but that flower was a stroke of genius by the Deku. Somebody has a lot of guts."

We descended quietly upon the guard, and soon had him pinned against the purple goop that now surrounded the flower. Link demanded the location of the princess—to our surprise, the guard was quick to give it up. Against my wishes, Link let him go after that.

"We can't trust him," I whispered sharply as soon as we had returned to our sleuthing. "He's going to tell the adviser we're here, you know. Not to mention we could be walking our way straight into prison."

"Look," Link snapped, "I don't care. Perhaps he did lie. But it is the only lead I have, and it only takes one small possibility to deduce the truth. Have a little faith in me—I didn't plan on coming here just to get killed." I didn't say a word back. I hadn't expected such a retaliation. Link was a little surprised with himself too. It didn't take him long to give me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for snapping like that. It's just... After that thing showed up..." His face dropped again, his voice back into a whisper, and he turned away from me. I'm not exactly sure what he said after that, but I managed to catch, "...those accursed Ikana..." followed by some sort of sniff.

-

The Woodfall Temple was darker than any temple I had ever encountered, sans the inky Shadow Temple itself. It was almost scary, sneaking through those passageways, half metal and half moss-covered rock, squinting as hard as we could to see through the dim light. I had it a little easier than Link, I think. It appeared the Deku were built for the dark, and though at times it was a struggle, I was able to see in crystal clear detail in the darkest of lights. Link, on the other hand, kept bonking into things. I asked if he was alright, but he wouldn't speak to me.

I kept wondering about the "Shadow." I, of course, figured Link was talking about the shadow that took the Deku Princess; however, I wasn't too sure. The way he spoke of the "Shadow," it sounded like everybody in Termina knew that name. And what about the Ikana? Nobody gave me a straight answer about them. Who _were_ they, anyway?

Every now and then, we'd pass by segments of the walls left bare by the adviser's men. They depicted a strange creature, with a grinning face and a pair of bull horns, crouching down and peering malevolently at the people walking past. Why on earth, I thought, would the Deku construct such a scary place? Perhaps, back when it was being used for religious purposes, it was a lot livelier.

And then, we, both of us, heard a cackling laugh that echoed through the corridor we were now sneaking through. It was the darkest hall yet, out of hundreds of halls (surely, we had delved into a labyrinth inside Mt. Woodfall; not even religious temples housed such mazes). We had just been beginning to drop our guard, relaxed by the lack of any guards to speak of. This cachination, however, froze us to the very bone.

I spun around. "Who's there?" I demanded.

The laughter stopped almost immediately. My revolution was just in time, it seemed, because whatever was laughing didn't want us to see it for very long. I only caught a glimpse before it ran away, not by turning around but by simply fading into darkness. It was a face I was now beginning to recognize: the blood-stained face of the Majora's Mask.

Suddenly, I became aware that the prince wasn't at my side. "Your highness?" I called. "Prince!" There was a moan from where the Skull Kid had just stood. I hustled over, swimming my way through the palpable darkness as if it were tall grass in a nighttime swamp.

It didn't take long to find him. He lay on the arbitrary floor, groaning in dull agony. I inhaled sharply when I saw one of his snow-white arms tinted with an inkblot of crimson red. "Link!" I gasped. "Are you... Are you alright? What happened?"

"What?" I jumped in surprise and turned my head. To my shock, Link stood in front of me, in perfectly good health. "What do you mean, what happened?"

I quickly glanced back behind me. The injured body was gone. "Are you... Are you hurt?" I stuttered.

"Nnnnnoooo... Are _you_ hurt?"

I shook my head in embarrassment. "N-No, I don't think so."

"Did you hear that wind?" he asked. "Creepy. But I think that means we're getting close to some sort of wide-open space. Let's keep going. I'm sure the end is near!"

"The end of what?" I replied silently. I gulped. If he wasn't really injured, then was that a sign? Or was it a warning? What _did_ I witness?

We kept walking in silence for some time. At last, though, my keen eyes picked out a break in the narrow wall. "Aha!" I exclaimed. "I think I found our space!" I directed the near-blinded monkey's eyes towards a metal door, bolted with an immeasurable amount of locks. "I don't think we're getting in, though."

Link grinned. "Remember what I told you about locks?" He stepped forward. "Let _me_ do it."

-

I took a sharp breath. Inside the room was a giant woman, both powerful and beautiful at the same time. It was another Great Fairy. She shimmered in a pink light, more elegant than any worldly being, yet her face was full of turmoil. Many strange, metal arms surrounded her, emitting a bubble of electricity that prevented anything from touching her. Inside the bubble, which was not unlike Princess Ruto's electric force field, a device in the center of the floor seemed to be giving the floating queen great pain.

"That's terrible," Link growled, pointing at the device. "At least we know what powers this temple now. They're extrapolating the Great Fairy's energy and converting it into nuclear power," he explained. "That's what's creating all the chemicals and pollution—its the junk left over from the fuel powering these machines."

These were all terms I'd never heard before. It wasn't too hard to make heads and tails of it, though. "So... They're getting their power from the Great Fairy?" The monkey prince nodded. "Well, we have to do something about that!"

He nodded again. "Come on, let's see if we can find the switch to turn this thing off."

We found it with little trouble. It was a large box covered in countless push-switches shaped like buttons, with a few levers and a lot of flashing lights. Link called it a "control panel." After looking at it for a while, he pushed down the switch with some Deku word written over it that I couldn't understand.

With a screeching noise, the metal arms pulled away from the force field and contracted. The slurping sound being made by the device in the floor's center stopped, and with a fizz the force field dissipated. The Great Fairy was free.

This Great Fairy was identical to the one I had met in Clock Town in all ways but color. Whereas the fairy in the park in Clock Town was orange, with blue all around her, this one was surrounded with a pink glow, and her hair matched the glow's color to the very wavelength. She was naked, but a rope of vines and leaves coiled around her entire body.

"Thank you, young heroes, for rescuing me," she cooed, bowing gratefully. "I was worried I'd never get out of here."

"How did you get here in the first place?" Link asked. "I would have thought somebody as powerful as you could have fended off a bunch of firewood—no offense," he quickly added, glancing at me.

"You can thank their military adviser for that," she answered darkly. "It was his idea."

"How long have you been trapped here?" I inquired, eying the rope marks on her wrists. She must have been tied up for some period of time.

"Since August. Near the end of the month, I started noticing some of the Deku military lingering up at the top of Mt. Woodfall; I hadn't seen any up here since the mountain was declared forbidden territory. They started wandering in the temple, taking figures and calculating something, so I decided to check on what they were up to. Before I knew what was going on, I found myself imprisoned in this room, my very soul being used for their bizarre experiments."

"I'll bet you I know what they were using you for," I mumbled to myself. The only plausible thing would be the nuclear bomb. At least as far as I understood, they'd need something with unbelievable power to fuel the bomb's projected explosion.

"You'll be glad to know, Madam Fairy, that we're here to put a stop to this," Link told the fairy. "You needn't worry about being used ever again."

The Great Fairy stooped down so that we were eye-to-eye. "The adviser is no ordinary Deku," she warned in a low tone. "He personally was the one who locked me up; his powers are not to be underestimated."

"I can't understand what went wrong," Link said, scratching his chin. "The adviser was one bad dude, but never _this_ bad."

"He wears a mask, a gift from a goddess," the Great Fairy explained. "To him, it is a mark of the former god of his people, but do not be fooled. He sold his soul to the evil Majora, and the mask marks his allegiance. He serves the devil now, not the Deku King."

Link backed up, waving his hands. "Whoa, isn't that a bit too far? I mean... I know Deku are no-good two-timers, but I don't think they're _that_ bad. I mean..."

The Great Fairy brought a finger to her lips. "Hush, young prince. If my words do not bring you absolution, then perhaps what the event that now approaches shows you will."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you what that means," I answered quickly. "It means we'll be having a close conversation with him before the day is over." I had never thought of things that way before, but now that I considered it, it was inevitable that we'd have to confront the adviser. He was, after all, planning to drop a bomb on the two kingdoms. Wait, the... "Great Fairy!" I exclaimed suddenly. "Quick, you must tell us! Where can we find the bomb?"

The Great Fairy shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but the atom bomb is not present in this temple. Or rather, not anymore."

"Drat!" I growled. "They must have already moved it to the palace!"

"It was a distraction," the monkey blurted with a pound of his foot. "That's why that guard told us where the princess was. So that we'd be wandering down here in the detention facility while they were moving the bomb down the mountain!"

"I can't believe it... This temple was one big goose chase!" Boy was I frustrated. For all we knew, the bomb could be set to go off in a few minutes!

At this outrage, though, the Great Fairy silenced us once more. "Shh! I may not be able to help you find the bomb, but I can help you find the princess. She is trapped behind a veil of monstrous vines. Only the sharpest of swords could break her loose."

I was about to speak up when the Monkey Prince announced proudly that he, in fact, had such a sword. I don't know why I had never noticed it, but just like me, Link had a sword dangling in a sheath against his back. I couldn't help but do a Deku smile. He really was just like me.

"Lead me to my destiny," he asked the fairy. "It is time to set this poor princess free."

-

The shredded vines revealed a jungle's pearl. Perhaps it was just my Deku instincts, but though before I never would have pictured a plant woman beautiful, the ultimate blossom lingered before our shadows. She did not look at all like a prisoner. A flower-like parasol hung like a colorful cloud over her pink-and-green leaves. Her luminescent eyes, like glowing mushrooms at night, were only half-open, as if this entire time she had been lounging. Though she was a tad bit shorter than me, she had the entire atmosphere of a spoiled, but elegant, princess. The Deku King had raised her well.

Her eyes grew wide when she recognized the hairy boy next to me. "Link? Is that... Is that you?" Her parasol dropped with a thud to the floor. With a sudden leap of ecstatic joy, she flung her draping, leafy arms around the monkey prince and squeezed lovingly. "My dearest monkey! I knew you would come for me!"

"Anastasia, how I've missed you!" Link answered, holding her tight. "Are you alright?"

"I could make an old, withering Deku Flower _bloom_ now that you're here!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You'll never believe what I saw! There's... Oh, Link, something horrid is lurking in this temple! I—"

"I hate to interrupt you, your highness," I cut in urgently, "but we don't have time to talk! Your father's twisted adviser's brought the bomb into the capitol!"

"_What_!?" she gasped, raising a leaf-veiled hand to her nozzle. "Well that's terrible! We shall have to stop him immediately!"

"You mean you're coming?" Link objected.

"Now don't start again," Anastasia snapped as she hurriedly picked up her parasol. "We haven't a moment to lose, and it's _my_ kingdom! I have a duty to protect it!" She was just as absolute as her father, I thought smugly. Not quite unlike Princess Ruto.

-

None of us expected what met us at the palace. "My word!" the princess cried as we passed through the gatehouse. "What has been going on!?" Everywhere we looked, monkeys armed with swords and strange little devices that fired something I couldn't see struggled with Deku soldiers. The streets were a great mess of dead bodies, both Deku and Monkey. In the clouds above, I could hear a rattling sound and loud buzzing, and I saw flashes of light.

The Deku butler scrambled towards us. "Children, I must get you all to safety! The Monkeys have launched an attack on our palace!"

"I think that's quite obvious, Wadsworth," Anastasia harped. "What on earth is going on here?"

"The King believes the monkeys captured you, my child!" Wadsworth hastily explained. "Did you not know? We are at war!"

"_What!?_" the princess screamed. "He can't just go to war!"

"Wadsworth," I reported, "we need to find the king as fast as we can. The bomb is already somewhere in the palace!"

Wadsworth was stunned. "Din's Fire!" he cried. "That means..." There was a great explosion on the wall just above our heads. The princess screamed, and the monkey prince jumped to shield her from the falling debris. "Your highness! We must get you to safety!" Wadsworth pulled out a large umbrella and pulled all of us underneath it. "This umbrella will keep us safe from danger above. Now hurry, we must get inside!"

We were hustled by the butler into a small shrine near the ceremonial quarter. Inside, we caught our breath. "Wadsworth, where is my father?" Anastasia huffed. "I must see him immediately!"

"I... I can't find him anywhere!"

"Wadsworth," I coughed, "you were right about the military adviser."

"_What!?_ But... Last thing I saw, the king was walking away with him!" The butler was at a loss of what to do—too many discoveries were going on at once, I suppose.

"He could be ready to push the button any minute!" Link exclaimed. "Wadsworth, don't you have any idea where he might be?"

"Well... If the bomb is already here... He must be in the throne room! That's where the button is, any way."

Link and I exchanged worried glances. "Let's go, now!" I ordered.

-

"I can't believe father would _do_ such a thing!" the Deku Princess squeaked. Link was briefing her on everything that was going on while we ran. "That's just not like him at all!"

"I'll bet you a thousand bananas that your father hasn't been himself since you went missing, my dear," the monkey replied. "He's been bonkers—just look around you!" Indeed, the fighting was getting more intense the closer we got to the palace entrance.

Just then, we passed by a squad of Deku soldiers. They turned away from what they were doing, and began to follow us. "Um, Link, I think we have company," I called to my left.

"For the love of Nayru, why do these toy soldiers always mess things up?" He turned his head back to look at our pursuers. "Hey, veggie breaths! We're on your side!"

The soldiers didn't back off. "I don't think these are the right kind of soldiers," I observed nervously.

"By royal decree," the princess demanded, "leave us alone!" The soldiers continued to follow us. Soon, they'd be close enough to fire Deku Nuts with pin-point accuracy. "Blast that adviser..."

"You know what?" Link growled. "I need to take out some frustration with these guys." He let go of Anastasia's hands. "Anastasia, my darling, go ahead and find the king. I'll catch up." He looked at me. "Good luck, boy of many mysteries."

I nodded. "Same to you."

With that, Link, Prince of the Monkeys, turned around and left us for the ever-larger mass of Deku soldiers chasing us. We didn't turn around to watch—we just kept running, the butler, princess, and I, until we reached the palace.

-

What we found when we arrived was horrifying. There were two people in the room already. One was the Deku King, hanging limply in the air a foot above the steps to his throne. His eyes were wide open, his lazy expression frozen as if in a trance. The other was the military adviser, mask and everything, standing on the throne and looking up at the king's face. A strange, glowing, yellow energy, like dozens of magical worms, connected the king's eyes to the eyes of the adviser's mask. It didn't take Saria to figure out what was going on.

"Daddy!" Anastasia cried as soon as she stumbled into the room. "What are you doing to my father!?" No sooner did she ask than the great Deku King collapsed to the floor no different than a rag doll crumpling into a pile. Our Deku nozzles "dropped."

"Your majesty!" Wadsworth roared. "No!" Before either of us could stop him, the butler charged furiously at the military adviser. "I'll kill you for what you've done!!!"

The adviser held out a claw-like hand, so nobbled that it looked like the branch of a gnarled tree. "It's too late," he droned. Our eyes widened at the sight of a large red button underneath the hand. His arm rose slightly, then rushed down to slam the button.

A split second before the button could be pressed, Wadsworth slammed his head into the adviser, grabbed him, and threw him away from the throne. The adviser went sliding across the room, until he hit a pillar. Wadsworth took the wire coming out of the button's device and tore it apart. "I cannot allow you to destroy our world!" he announced angrily.

"You shouldn't have done that," the adviser growled. All of us blinked. He stood right in front of Wadsworth, as if he had never been tossed. Even worse, all of the sudden he seemed to be a whole lot bigger. The princess and I backed away. The adviser grabbed the butler with a single hand and lifted him above the ground. "I'm far too powerful for you to silence me now, Wadsworth. You should have figured that out by now."

"And why is that?" I demanded, stalling for time. "What made you so powerful?"

The adviser turned his masked face to me. "There are more of us, you know," he said darkly. "More than you could ever imagine. They're everywhere, working for _her_."

"More of who?"

"You're foolish to try to stop her, Hero of Time. You should never have decided to play her game. You should never have gotten involved."

"_Whose_ game!? You mean Majora's?"

"She won't kill everybody. She helps those who are loyal, just as she helped me."

"Helped you do what? Kill off a whole race?"

"Better." He turned his head, mask and all, back to the butler. The mask's mouth opened, and a frog-like tongue launched out of it and hooked itself to poor Wadsworth, who struggled at first but then fell limp. All he could do was scream as a green light appeared around him, traveled down the tongue, and entered the adviser. When the light vanished, so did Wadsworth's cries. His entire body hung lifelessly in the masked Deku's grip. With a flick of the wrist the military adviser flung Wadsworth through the air and into a wall behind us. The Deku Butler's body collapsed to the floor, motionless. "You can have your foolish servant back," the adviser growled. "The King won't need him anymore." His head twitched slightly.

"Mark my words, Child of Farore," he snickered, "no matter where you run, no matter where you hide, she will find you. Your loved ones will perish, your mind will rot; and then, when you are begging for mercy, she will leave you a lifeless corpse. Do not cross fire with a goddess." Suddenly, the adviser began to grow in size, and as he did he began to change.

"Princess," I trembled. "Get Wadsworth to safety. Now!" Anastasia nodded and ran behind us to get her butler. After that, I can only assume she left. I couldn't check to find out, because in front of us the adviser had taken a new form entirely. A giant swordsman stood in the spacious chamber, staring down at me through dark holes in the mask, which had also grown to fit his head. In one hand he held an enormous sword; in the other, a massive shield. He was no longer made of wood—instead, his naked body was covered in smooth, dark green skin, covered in countless red and blue tattoos.

"Surprised?" the swordsman laughed in a deep voice, causing the entire room to shake. "I suppose introductions are in order. I am Odolwa, God of War, exiled by those wretched goddesses with the rest of my kin."

"Kin?" I inquired. "What do you mean, 'kin?'"

"I'm sure you've met one of my brothers already—do the words 'Bongo Bongo' ring a bell? He too was banished by that 'almighty trio.'"

At that moment, Link ran up to my side, panting. He nearly fell over when he saw Odolwa. "Wow," he gasped, "what did I miss?"

"Let me put it this way," I growled, "the adviser is a lot more than just a Deku."

"Oh dear..."

"Enough chatter!" Odolwa roared. "Introductions are over, Child of Farore! It is time for vengeance!" With a stamp of his feet, the walls surrounding us erupted into flames. The windows shattered, and the glass turned into what looked to me like abnormally large moths.

"Link, don't get distracted!" the monkey called. I turned my head, only to see a massive (and I mean _massive_) blade cutting through the air. He and I split up just in time to narrowly avoid Odolwa's sword, which sliced the floor we had just previously stood on like a hot knife on butter.

"Any ideas?" I called to my monkey companion on the other side of Odolwa's blade.

"Still thinking about it," the monkey prince answered. "I'll let you know when I come up with something." He jumped onto some vines wrapped around a pillar and started climbing up them.

"Why is it that when I finally need her, my stupid fairy is gone?" I groaned, rolling out of the way of another vertical slice. I would have to put all my faith into Link; I knew absolutely nothing about any Odolwa—as far as I knew, he didn't even exist in Hyrule's mythology!

As I was trying to figure out whether to stall for Link or strike out on my own, I heard a large fluttering noise behind me. The moths were attacking me! I yelped and ran. Odolwa laughed at my plight. "That's it, mortal. Run like the fool you are!" He then turned away from me and started looking above. "Hmm... Whatever happened to Prince Charming?" I think it was a little insulting that he didn't think I was a threat.

To be honest, though, what could I do? I was a Deku Scrub! All I could do was spit Deku Nuts, and I didn't _have_ any! I was helpless, even against these crazy moths, and one false step and I'd be toasted too! "This is a nightmare!" I cried out loud.

"Hold on," Link called from above. "I think I hear something..."

"Aha!" Odolwa explained. "I have you now!" With godly strength, he raised his sword, ready to slice the Monkey Prince in half without as much as a sweat.

Suddenly, though, there was a loud bang, and light flooded in from above. Soldiers flooded in through the hole in the roof by the dozens—both Monkey _and_ Deku. Along with them floated down a wildflower, gracefully descending with her parasol. "Darling!" she announced. "I've brought reinforcements!"

Link looked down at me with glee. "You see?" he grinned. "_This_ is why I love her!"

Odolwa didn't know what to think. He was suddenly being swarmed by monkeys all over his body, and being blasted by Dekus standing just out of his reach. He had been prepared to fight one or two warriors, not a whole army!

We discovered very quickly though that all of this was for naught. Not a single blow laid onto Odolwa harmed him, no matter how weighed down he was. "You foolish creatures!" he screamed in wicked pleasure. "I'm a god! You petty things can't slay me! Nobody can slay a god!"

"Oh, but I _can_." Everybody grew silent in surprise. All eyes stared in confusion or disbelief at one person: me. I guess, no matter how dramatic it felt, it was really quite dumb. In all that was happening, all that was going on, I'd forgotten one very, _very_ important fact. I wasn't a Deku—I was a Hylian. A Hylian who slayed a god once before. Could I have done it before the princess came to the rescue? I'm not quite sure.

Nobody could quite comprehend what happened when I removed the Deku Mask. Where a small Deku child had once stood now stood a proud Hylian swordsman. Even I was a little stunned. My Kokiri Sword was glowing just as my Master Sword would six years in the future as I stood off against the God of Death. Why it did so now, I wasn't quite sure. Perhaps, I hoped, it was the work of the goddesses.

Somehow, not even Odolwa had expected this. He struggled to back away, pleading, "No, no!" But the monkeys and Deku were smart, and they kept him locked to the floor. I advanced slowly.

"Here's a message for you, Majora," I announced to the air. "I'm not quitting until this game is over!" Without another moment to lose, I plunged my sword straight through Odolwa's neck.

-

I was all alone, on an island in a sea of misty green. Everything was so quiet and empty that my mere breath created an endless echo. I looked around, wondering what sort of place I was in. Above me there wasn't a sky, but instead another sea, with waterfalls dripping down into mine. Looking closely, something was standing on one of the sky-islands, very far away. Whoever it was, it was enormous. It was a giant, bearded, orange head, stacked on top of long, thin legs. A pair of skinny arms, as lengthy as its legs, dangled from just under its ears.

"Wh-Who are you?" I demanded.

The answer came in the form of a saddened voice, deep and melancholy, as if crying. I couldn't help but feel a little depressed myself, despite the happy situation elsewhere. "I am one of the four Giants," it (a "he") answered, "Guardians of the Forsaken World. You have released me from my imprisonment in the Mask of God Odolwa. Save the others as you have me, and we shall halt the procession of the moon."

A small scrap of paper floated out of the mist and journeyed across the water's surface to the shore of my island. Picking it up, I saw many musical notes written on it. "Sing this song atop Dotour's Clock Tower, and we shall come to meet you," the giant continued.

"But... Where can I find the other giants?" I asked, a little at a loss as to how to continue.

"They are guarded by those who serve Goddess Majora. Seek the lost souls who possess the demon masks. They will lead you to my brethren."

"You mean... Like the King's adviser?"

The giant nodded his omniscient head. "Indeed. Like the adviser to the king." The world around me began to fade. "Now go, Child of Farore. Rescue my three brothers and save this doomed land."

-

I'm not quite sure what happened. There I was, standing in a world of mist, when all of it seemed to just...fade away. There aren't really any words that could describe it—those were the best I could think of. It was a strange feeling, when it happened. I felt a cool, soothing feeling all around me, but at the same time I felt a perplexing pulling sensation in the back of my mind, as if I didn't want to go. There was something alluring about that little island. What it was exactly, though, I hadn't the slightest clue. Perhaps I had somehow been there, long ago, a little after I was born...

My eyes passed through a veil, so well-defined and ambiguous at the same time, like the line dividing water from sky. Suddenly, I was surrounded by cheering Dekus and applauding monkeys. Somebody was patting me on the back. A quick glance with my right eye revealed my hairy double. He had another huge grin on his face. For the briefest of moments, I wondered if I looked like that when _I_ smiled.

-

That evening, the Deku and monkeys held a great banquet in honor of the Princess (who returned safely home), Link (who, as it turned out, had suggested the princess get reinforcements while passing her and Wadsworth), the king's butler (who saved the swamp from the bomb), and I. The monkeys cheered me because I vanquished a giant demon. The Deku hailed me for purifying their patron god.

Princess Anastasia made a speech, that flame-lit night. In the absence of the king, she declared the war over. Both sides made cries and yells of joy and relief, and murmurs of apologies. The only ones who didn't express pleasure were the soldiers who committed treason by working for the adviser—they were safely locked away in the Deku Prison. At the sounds of peace, Link jumped onto the table (spilling his drink on his brother) and pounded his chest, making a strange, guttural cheer I'd never heard before.

After the food, I joined Link, Anastasia, and her butler on their journey to one of the balconies I had passed going up the palace walls. "Thank you so much for your help," the princess tooted. "You may feel free to visit our kingdom any time you wish. Consider it a token of my appreciation."

"Thanks, your highness," I smiled. "I'm glad we were able to get you out of that dark temple." My smile faded. "But... What about your father? Whatever happened to him?"

"His majesty is resting in our most experienced hospital," Wadsworth answered. "I daresay he will be in there for weeks! But we came just in the nick of time, you know?" He almost put the tips of his index finger and thumb together, but stopped short. "He came _this_ close to being lost for good."

"I hope ol' Sibiersky will be nicer when he finds out my people helped save him," Link sighed. "That guy's more racist than Mayor Dotour!"

"_Link_!" Anastasia snapped.

The Monkey Prince gulped. "Whoops, sorry." He looked at me with embarrassment. "I'm going to have to start warming up to the guy, now that Anastasia and I are engaged and all."

I nearly fell over. "Wait, you two are engaged? How long was I out for!?"

Link started counting off with his fingers. "Let's see...ten or so hours. I still don't understand why you fainted at all, to be completely honest."

"Maybe Lord Odolwa wanted to put up one last fight before the demon possessing him was destroyed," the princess offered.

I giggled edgily. "Yeah, something like that..."

We stepped through a flowery archway and onto the balcony. All of us gasped. Staring straight into our pupils were two bloodshot eyes, blood vessels bulging. Under the eyes were two rows of fangs, sharper than any sword I had ever seen. This wasn't some creature, though...it was the moon. A moon of enormous proportions, hanging like a phantom over a far away clock tower. I began to sweat. I'd forgotten about my time limit!

"What a peculiar moon," Anastasia said, fixated on the celestial body as if hypnotized. "I wonder why it's so big tonight?"

"Quick, somebody, what time is it!?" I demanded.

"Hm? It is thirty minutes past eleven," the Deku Butler answered.

I was about to find some excuse to leave, so that I could travel back in time before the apocalypse began, when a familiar yellow light approached us from the forest down below. "Link!" it panted, in a distinctly snotty voice.

Link's eyebrows furrowed. "Who, me?" he asked, pointing at his chest.

"No, of course not, monkey breath!" the light snapped. I knew immediately who it was: Tatl. The fairy who broke all fairy laws.

"What are _you_ doing back here?" I growled, crossing my arms and stamping my foot firmly onto the floor. "Back from your little vacation?"

"Shut it! I've been looking everywhere for you!" At last, the fairy landed on the railing of the balcony. "Quick, before I'm cooked well-done, start playing the—"

I rushed my hand in front of her little mouth. "Now, now, Tatl," I quickly interrupted, "I know what I'm doing." I grinned nervously at my companions. The two Dekus gave me peculiar stares, like Tatl and I were out of our minds. Link the Monkey, though, was a lot more direct.

"That reminds me," he inquired, "what exactly happened back in the throne room? What happened to all your bark?"

"Well, I guess I should come clean. Remember what I was saying before, about being from another world?"

A spark of intrigue lit up in Link's eyes. "Yes, I seem to recall something of the sort. Where did you say you were from again?"

"Hyrule. And I should tell you, I'm not a Deku. I only disguised myself as one, so I could get into the kingdom and rescue you."

Wadsworth snapped his fingers in sudden realization. "Aha! I thought I recognized you from somewhere!" he exclaimed. We all looked at him with puzzlement. He pointed an index finger straight at my chest, not even caring about personal space. "Your majesties... This is the hero told of in the legend!"

I stepped backwards. "The...legend?"

Link's eyes grew wide. "Of course! The Two Masked Men! Link, I was _named_ after you!"

"_What_!?" I gawked.

"It's the legend of a young masked hero, born of Goddess Farore, who comes to Termina from a make-believe land called Hylia. He arrives on the time of Termina's greatest catastrophe, and does battle with another masked man." He smiled a great, admiring smile. "I'm your biggest fan, you know. I guess that legend should be rewritten, though; they've got some parts wrong."

"I'll say," I coughed grumpily. "I'm not a god, and Hyrule is certainly not make-believe. Not to mention that Hylia is the name of a _lake_, not a country."

"But you _did_ arrive during a catastrophe, and you saved us from a masked man—Lord Odolwa," Anastasia corrected. "So the most important parts are still true. And to think, I thought you were just an ordinary Deku Scrub! But...now that everything's better again, what will you do?"

"You could stay here with us," Link offered. "I'd love to hear about your other adventures!"

It hurt too much to turn him down. I just quietly nodded. They didn't realize the moon was about to kill them all. They didn't realize the catastrophe still hadn't been adverted.

The butler began fearing my two peers were storming me with information too much, and suggested we watch the moon a little. After they were absorbed in a guessing game, guessing why the moon was so big, I slipped out back through the arch with Tatl in my hand.

"You'd better be thankful that I'm forgiving you," I whispered sharply.

"Whatever!" Tatl pushed. "Just hurry up! We don't have time for any more talk!"

I nodded with a sigh. Taking one last look back at the trio, I realized how much I would miss them. It was almost like being back in the Lost Woods, except there were monkeys rather than Kokiri. But Tatl kept hurrying me, and the moon kept sinking, so I had no choice but to put my lips to the Ocarina of Time and whistle us back through time.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** So, there you have it! I hope it wasn't too brutal on your brain near the end. I know things get a little corny around the battle scene.

Before you're done, I would like to express an apology to one of my reviewers from _Dark Mind_. The reviewer was highly anticipating a great battle between Link and Odolwa, and I feel I fell short of that. Then again, perhaps I did really well.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to wait for this enormous story to end, and then reading through it! Reviews would be highly appreciated, especially your reactions to particular scenes. Also, if you're feeling a bit grumpy from Odolwa, feel free to let me know how to improve it. The fight isn't up to par with some of my other scenes, so I'm willing to look back after Cold Heart gets going and improve it.

Speaking of that, be sure to be on the look out for Cold Heart, where Link will have to brave the tempest tormenting the mountains at Snowhead! You can see a promotional poster for it here: .com/art/Cold-Heart-147001705

Reviews please!

...you know you liked Link the Monkey.


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